And The Stars Aligned
by Iland Girl
Summary: "I don't know. I don't know why the skies parted and the-the freakin' stars aligned, but they did, and they chose me. I'm here, and there's no way in Hell I'm giving up after coming this damn far." If you were tossed into a fate you couldn't control, with Gods and mutants, would you fight with them? - Time/Space jumping -
1. Chapter 1

**(())**

 **~.And The Stars Aligned.~**

by Iland Girl

 _'for those with gentle hands'_

* * *

 _Prelude_

* * *

When I was a little girl my mother always asked me who my hero was.

"They're important! They change who we are!" My mother would tell me. Her favourite hero growing up had been Captain America. A common favourite. She never told me why, and maybe if I had asked he would've been mine too.

The thing was, I could never settle on just one hero. I enjoyed comic books and stories. I loved novels like Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter, but even in those I could never discern who was my favourite. Sometimes I leaned more to Gandalf, other days I was adamant it was Hagrid. I spent the better part of my childhood hopping between stories, and it was probably to deal with my real life. My home life was rocky, but we'll get on to that in a minute.

When I was a child people thought it was adorable when I told them I had a hero, but as an adult it was a different story. I could hear the snigger in their voices when they asked me who my favourite hero was. In the span of ten years I had met a lot of heroes, I had made a lot of changes, and I had grown far more than I could have ever expected to.

You see I have this weird ability. Well a few odd abilities that make me unique. One of them is that I tend to just show up to places. No seriously, sometimes I'm sleeping in my bed, and then I'm magically on a park bench in the 1950's. We'll get more into this later, honestly we will. For now, let's focus of some smaller things that are easy to digest.

I had dealt with the feelings of loss, of loneliness, of sorrow, and most importantly, I have felt love. All of these emotions have been with me since the day it all started, and maybe even sooner. All because of a crazy Terran that calls himself Star Lord, a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, an all American dream boat, a couple of top notched spies, a talking racoon, and a few gods tossed into the mix. A lot of people might've gone to the looney bin after that list, but to me, I just feel that wholeness when I look back on it all.

So when someone asks me now, I tell them; yes.

I still believe in heroes.

* * *

 **Hey all.**

 **So this is a thought for a story that has just come to me. You know how when you're looking for a specific story and you just cannot find it? Well that's me everytime, so I just said 'f this' and decided to write it.**

 **Now I know there are stories like this out there. Believe me, I know, but the thing is that there isn't one with _this_ kind of feel. I'm not sure this story will be any good (Hell some of my stories are awful but it's nice to see some people read them) but I've been swimming around the Marvel Universe for a while and a few stories have been just rattling my brain. Only I can't mentally put together enough content for each of these stories to be good as standalones, so I've decided to just mash them all up with one big character. **

**So be warned, this is one of those 'girl jumps through time/space' stories. Yeah, even I know I've hit a new low, but my mind has been circling this drain for a while and I need to get this garbage out of my head and get back to my other beautiful fanfics that desperately need updating (sorrynotsorry).**

 **Also, since this will be a jumping through time story, it will obviously be about my characters interactions with the canon characters. As such I would love to know which characters y'all would like to see! Please leave a review and let me know because honestly, there's a huge chunk of chapters where it's anyone's game.**

 **Toodaloo!**

 **Iland Girl**


	2. Chapter 2

**(())**

 **~.And The Stars Aligned.~**

by Iland Girl

 _'for those with gentle hands'_

* * *

 _Chapter One_

* * *

Since you've decided to read on I think I'll start slow with you. Would hate to scare you off after your first page. Page twenty would be a good time.

Anywho.

When I was younger I was a pretty normal kid. Well, normal as a kid can be. Honestly kids are just weird, and the most normal kids tended to be the craziest adults. It's like they never got that weirdness out of them and now it's festered so badly in their souls that it's become a part of them.

So I was a pretty normal kid, which meant I was a very odd adult, but more on that later. I was a kid that liked to explore and go on adventures. Even if it was just the the grocery store with my mom, or the carwash with my Dad. I loved every moment I got to explore. However, my exploration had a bad side to it, and that was I explored a little to hard. A couple of times I had wandered off at crucial moments, such as the time I was six and was at a convention with my Mother and Father. Both of my parents were geniuses, and sometimes I wonder if I had been adopted considering I barely understood my Maths.

When we were at the Stark Industries Expo in 2010 I had gone a little overboard with my Hide-n-Seek games. It had originally started off as a means to keep me entertained while Mom and Dad were busy. My Nanny, Ms. Walters, was a nice lady. However she was old and lacked the ability to keep up with me, something I had yet to learn.

"Now be careful Alice, I would hate for you to trip and scrape your knees." Ms. Walters said as she wandered behind me. Little six year old me wasn't really a bad kid, but I was very ignorant. I was skipping in between displays of technological advancements that Stark Industries had made over the years. Holographs showed different advancements and I glanced at each of them shortly before moving on. Little did I know that Ms. Walters was falling behind. She called out for me, but amongst the crowds I didn't hear her as I skipped around the corner.

One thing led to another and, well, I found myself completely and utterly lost. The crowds had diminished and I seemed to be on the wrong side of the No Access tape. I looked around and found myself in what seemed to be a lounge. How I got in here was beyond my memory, and come to think of it I didn't recall opening any doors.

It was dead quiet in this lounge, this large and very fancy looking lounge. I started to feel more and more uneasy in the silent room.

"Ms. Alice, is that you?"

I squeaked, finding the closest couch and diving behind it. My little heart was quavering, it took me a moment to realize that someone had called out to me rather than purposefully scared me. Peaking out from the side of the couch, I looked around the room.

"Who-who said that?" I stammered. Looking around the room I saw nobody at all.

"My apologies," I flinched, "I did not mean to startle you."

"Who are you?" I asked, looking around and seeing no one. Slowly, I began to come out of hiding.

"My name is Jarvis Ms. Alice. My scans show that you have gotten smaller since the last time I have seen you." Jarvis, the disembodied voice said. I looked around the room again, and sure enough no one was here. "Shall I contact Mr. Stark and tell him you have arrived?"

"Who? Um, okay, as long as he isn't mad. I think I'm lost Mr Jarvis." I said, realizing that I really didn't know where I was.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Stark is on his way." Jarvis told me. I nodded, sitting down on the sofa and sniffling a little bit. My feet bounced up and down for a few moments, my eyes watching them. Not five minutes later I heard the doors open and my eyes snapped to the man entering the room.

He looked like the man on all the billboards. Identical really, and in a weird sort of way he looked nothing like him. This man had an intense look of worry in his eyes as he practically sprinted into the room. Well groomed and dressed to the nines, this man was definitely Tony Stark. Billionaire with a list of titles a mile long. Most importantly, he was one of my favourite heroes.

"Iron Man?" I asked while slowly standing up. Tony looked down at me, his face going from near excitement to complete confusion. He stared for a moment before tilting his head at me. He stared for a long moment before answering.

"I'm sorry, but, who are you?" He asked. I gulped, noting the way he leaned down a little bit to look at me.

"Alice! I'm Alice Hubert. And you're Iron Man, right?" I asked, getting excited. Tony stared at me for a long long time, before the corners of his eyes softened and he seemed to have come to an understanding. He knelt down in front of me, his eyes shining and a warmth that surprised me came from them.

"You bet I'm Iron Man kiddo." He said, making me squeal. I jumped around and clapped a little bit. Tony chuckled before standing upright. "Now what's a kid like you doing all alone? You on one of your crazy adventures again?"

At this I paled and immediately remembered Ms. Walters.

"Ms. Walters! I lost Ms. Walters!" I felt myself tearing up, upset that I likely made my Nanny worry. She was a wonderful woman and I loved her like a grandparent. Tony just smiled at me and offered his hand.

"Why don't we find her together?" He asked.

And that was the story of how I gave my Nanny a near heart attack. We ended up finding her shortly after. Ms. Walters was tearing up when she saw me and ran right over. I said I was sorry and hugged her tightly. Tony watched the exchange for a short while before Ms. Walters even realized who he was.

"I am so sorry if she caused any trouble. She really likes her adventures and tends to get distracted." Ms. Walters apologized profusely, but Tony shook his head.

"It's not a problem," Tony insisted, looking at me with a sideways grin. "I can imagine she is quite the little explorer. Probably a lot to handle."

"You have no idea." Ms. Walters laughed, mussing my hair. I pouted a little, but she held my hand tightly. "We best be on our way. Your parents will want to have lunch with you."

"Her parents?" Tony asked, looking from Ms. Walters to me. I nodded with a grin. Tony looked at me for a long moment before nodding. "Well I would hate to keep you waiting. Have a good time kiddo."

Before we could say anything else people started to realize that Tony Stark was in the area. Within a span of fifteen seconds we were completely crowded by people, and Ms. Walters guided me quickly away from Tony. She urged me away, but I kept looking back over my shoulder at Tony, seeing him glance at me with an expression I couldn't quite understand.

* * *

Mom and Pops were waiting for us when we got to the café. I tried my best to stay on good behaviour after the incident, and Ms. Walters never mentioned the escapade to my parents. She did however enjoy bragging that she had seen Tony Stark in person.

"Such a handsome man! You should have seen him! And he adored little Alice." Ms. Walters cooed. She was a funny old woman. I spent the better part of my lunch chittering away to my parents about things that I had seen that day, or stuff I wanted to see tomorrow. We were only at the exhibition for two more days before we would head home. For the time being we were staying in a fancy hotel and just driving back and forth from the convention everyday. Mom told me multiple times of what she and Pops were doing at the expo, but I honestly didn't listen nearly enough. I wish I had.

Shortly after getting a light dessert Mom spoke softly to me.

"I know this expo is not exactly your idea of fun, but I promise we will be going somewhere fun next week, but this is a little something I found and thought you would like to add to the collection." My Mom said as she held out a tiny black box. She flipped the lid and revealed a tiny pendant with a gold fist. I grinned.

"It will look good with the rest, don't you think?" She asked as I hurriedly showed her the clasp to remove my necklace. Mom laughed at my eagerness and helped me put the pendant on. I had a lovely cross with diamonds on it, which had been my Grandmothers and one of her gifts she left for me in her will, along with a smaller name plate with 'Alice' written in cursive. Now the tiny gold fist sat on the opposite side of the cross, the name pate separating them. I showed it off to Ms. Walters for over an hour. I loved it, even if it wasn't a toy I loved the pretty, shiny gift.

Since my parents were attending a dinner later that evening we decided to head back to the hotel to have a bit of peace and quiet. It was rainy when we left the café, and I was beginning to think Ms. Walters was lying when she said we could go for a stroll through the park. Dad was driving us back to the hotel, one of the wipers was in need of replacing. For such brilliant people they were, I felt like Ms. Walters nannied all three of us. We would've been a mess without her.

Which is why today was just a god damn shame.

I was drifting to sleep in the back seat of the car. A sedan that was relatively new and in good condition, at least from what I could make of it. I was jerked awake by Ms. Walters shouting to my Dad. There was an impact as I was jerked around in my seat, another shortly after as we spun. My Dad had hit someone on the road. Nothing bad, but he had been on the Brooklyn Bridge and hit the side railing. We stopped, and everyone in the car was fine. We had spun around a bit and were jostled, but while everyone else was asking if all were fine, I was too busy staring at it.

'It' was a truck that was sliding right towards us. Right towards me. I watched, almost in slow motion, before I felt a pair of arms yank me from my seatbelt and onto the other side.

Ms. Walters covered me with her own body as the truck hit us. I don't know how hard he hit or how much damage he did, but it as enough to break the shaken barrier. Our car teetered on edge, half on the bridge and half in the air. Mom and Dad were both screaming for Ms. Walters to get me out, but the woman's arms had gone limp around me, and as I looked up I saw that a large gash was across her forehead and was dripping down into my hair. She hung over top of me, her head resting on the back Dad's headrest. No matter how loud they screamed Ms. Walters did not move. I took it upon myself to stop crying, granted I didn't realize I had been crying, and to open the door. When I did, the weight of my nanny that had been on it gave way, and she fell onto the street with a thud. I was still awkwardly in the car though, and as the weight of Ms. Walters left the car if began to tip forward.

There was a half second where I thought that maybe I could get out and help Ms. Walters, but my legs were cumbersome while being so shaken, and I fell back into the car. As I did, it began to fall. The waters below were an off teal, and the small waves began to quickly look bigger as it dawned on me what was actually happening. The speed at which we fell was so quick that I was thrown into the back window. Giving me a perfect view of my parents screaming and crying as I stared.

The water was coming much closer.

I screamed.

* * *

I felt like lead when I opened my eyes.

Looking around, I could tell I was in some sort of building right away, but the biggest distinction was how quiet it was here. There were a few beeps and whirs from machinery down the halls, but otherwise it was dead silent. There wasn't a soul around either, which was really strange, that is until I turned and saw a boy sitting on a chair off to the side of the hallway. I stared at him for a long moment, from his sneakered feet to his messy off blonde hair, all the way to the audio device he was listening too. After a short while I took in the look on his face as well.

He looked so sad…..

I walked up to him, not saying anything until I was right in front of his swinging legs. He paused and looked up at me. Slowly, he removed the head set from his ears and I can faintly hear music playing.

"Hi." Was all he said. I stared at him for a moment before smiling back at him.

"Are you okay?" I asked, seeing his expression. He seemed to have finally taken in my appearance and looked worried.

"Me? You're bleeding!" He said, grabbing my arm. "And you're shaking! What happened? Is there a nurse?"

"I'm fine." I insisted, wanting more than anything to sit down. "I just….. I don't know how I got here."

The boy looked me over a bit more before, and I told him I wasn't hurt (or at least didn't feel like I was) before we both sat side by side on the chairs. It was a relief to sit again, but now my legs were bouncing and shaking, and I didn't have it in me to do anything about it. I felt like all the life had drained out of me and I would never get up from that chair.

"Do you like Blue Suede?" He asked me after a moment of silence. I smiled politely.

"I don't know, what is it?" I asked. The boy held out the head phones for me. I took them gingerly.

"They're a band. Listen!" He said before pressing a button. I could hear the melody before the headphones reached my ears. When they did I listened to the tunes for a little while and smiled at the boy. My nerves settled some, and I felt myself relax even just a little bit. After a short while I pulled the headphones from my ears and smiled at him.

"Pretty cool!" I said with a laugh. The boy grinned, but there was no light in his eyes. He was still pretty sad.

"I'm Peter, what's your name?" Peter asked me.

"Alice." I said, looking around the hall. "Where's your parents?"

"Don't know my Dad, but my Mom's in there." Peter pointed to a door across the hallway where there was a light on. The door was shut and I couldn't see anything through the small window because the blinds were down. I looked to Peter to see him staring at the room, and then he looked about as pale as myself.

"My Mom's sick, and she-she….. I'm scared Alice. I'm scared because the adults won't tell me what's wrong." Peter said. I saw the look of fear in his eyes and instantly grabbed his free hand. He looked to me, then down to our joined hands. I smiled.

"I'll help you Peter, I promise." I said.

What a liar I was.

Peter smiled at me shortly, but then the door open to his Mom's room. I never got to see in there, because in the blink of an eye I was no longer there. Instead, I stood in another building. This time this one was very busy. I nearly got bowled over when a nurse came flying by. The hallways were filled with groans, a long lines of beds splayed everywhere with injuries. I walked down the hall slowly, looking at everyone.

That is until I heard him.

When I walked around a corner it was like the sound hit me full blast. Way down at the other end of the hallway was a man yelling at a doctor. He was practically red from rage as he shook the collar of the man's white coat.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T SEE HER?! AND WHERE'S MY DAUGHTER?!"

The anguish made me skitter down the hall quickly, and I tried my best not to run into anyone as I did. After a moment I called out to him, and the man turned with disbelief in his eyes as he stared at me.

"Daddy!"

* * *

 **Hey all. Please read this note.**

 **I guess I said it wrong in my last authors note, but judging by your reviews (btw HUGE thank you for reviewing this story already, it made me hustle to get this chapter out) you think I hate these kinds of stories. The truth is I don't hate them, not at all. My problem is that most of the time the character that is travelling tends to show up at only important points, and is there when it is important, and disappears when there's nothing going on or the 'movie' ended.**

 **I hate that, I hate it so, so much, but at the same time I see the use in it. Well kind of. I could go on and on about it for forever, but I really think it's a moot point, considering I will be doing it a few times. ,**

 **So yesterday I was forced to do an impromtu house sitting. All fine and dandy, but they don't have wifi, so i sat on my ipad and wrote out my big master plan (well like 60% of it) on Word. And the damn thing is 12,000 words already. Guys, that is a point form note work.**

 **-Alice does the thing, Tony sad, Quill happy. Alice learns -spoilers- which allows her to -spoilers-**

 **\- Alice does this thing, Loki said, Strange annoyed.**

 **Lie super basic, point form, and sometimes I throw in a quote to help me set the emotion I'm aiming for. And I usually get to the 2,000 word mark of a story before shrugging and carrying on with my life. But I have so much shit to cover, and I take my planning very seriously. There is an order that this has to happen, it can't happen willy nilly, because it won't flow.**

 **Keep in mind, I hadn't even entered anything beyond Civil War at that point, so there are a lot of notes to go. But the one thing I always have, is the ending. It alters a bit, and considering I don't have a hot clue what inifinity war is bringing us (Going opening night with my brother!) I don't want to have any major points set in stone. I will have some basic stuff like the poetic justice of the end, how powerful characters become, that gist.**

 **Now here's where you guys come in.**

 **Since I take this stuff like order of go pretty seriously, I can't say 'where did you want to go next?' But I can ask who you think Alice woul get along with the best and if she were to have a romantic insterest who would it be? I like realism, so there will be a lot of one sided stuff on both ends, but for the most part it'll be subtle. I have an idea of who I want as her main pairing, but we shall see what y'all think.**

 **Also, I don't think I will be going further than the standard MCU. That discludes X Men, Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, and of course Deadpool. I used to love the Wolverine films, and the x men as a cartoon, but I've found that as time went on the x men just lost their touch and I don't really watch it anymore.**

 **So this was an insanely long note. To recap!**

 **Who should Alice's love interst be? Keep in mind it can actually be anyone, regardless of age, because she is a time traveller or sorts. (Also her ability will be explained much later when I find it less funny to send her places)**

 **Remaining in the MCU only.**

 **No capes- wait what?**

 **This story is going to be Legen- wait for it- dary**

 **I'm actually pumped to write this guys, please keep the reviews coming so I can put of life commitments and keep going!**

 **Iland Girl**


	3. Chapter 3

**(())**

 **~.And The Stars Aligned.~**

by Iland Girl

 _'for those with gentle hands'_

* * *

 _Chapter Two_

Song Choice _: Life in The Fast Lane_ by _The Eagles_

* * *

I ran down the hallway as fast as I could.

Finally someone I knew well enough to dive into their arms. My Dad has always been a very warm and kind person, and so I didn't expect it when he grabbed my shoulders and stopped me from getting to close.

"Where in the Hell have you been?!" He shouted at me. I was taken aback as I looked up to the enraged face of my father.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?! You vanished into thin air missy!" Dad scolded me right there in the hall as I gulped.

"Daddy….."

"Don't you dare. How did you get out of the car?" Dad demanded. The doctor tried to edge around him when he saw the blood in my hair.

"Sir your daughter is bleeding-"

"I don't care!" He snapped before glaring at me. "How did you get out of the car?"

Before I could answer him two nurses came up to us.

"Mr Hubert, your daughter is bleeding." One of the male nurses said in a very deep voice. One that held a lot of threat if he didn't let me go. By this point I wasn't sure if I was shaking from the shock of the accident, or the shock of my parent screaming in my face. Dad looked worse for wear, an arm in a cast and a few stitches here and there, but otherwise he didn't look too badly off. My Dad glared at the nurses before dropping his hands and standing up. He ran his hands through his hair and took a breath.

The female nurse knelt next to me and gently touched my shoulder. I flinched, looking at her with shock. She smiled kindly at me and I settled under her touch.

"Can you tell me who brought you to the hospital?" The female nurse asked.

"I told you she was in the car crash!" My father said. "She vanished when we were getting out."

"I'm sorry, Mr Hubert, but there was only your wife and you in the car when they pulled you out of the water." One of the doctors said, giving another a look. I watched one doctor slip away as my Father shook his head.

"Well yeah, she was there and then she wasn't. It was like magic." He laughed. He looked down at me and shook his head before dropping the grin. "Why does my wife suffer, but you walk away with a boo boo?"

The doctors and nurses step between us, and the next thing I know some men in uniforms came around the corner to talk to my Dad. He's told something before he starts fighting and they pin him to the ground. He looks at me between the pant legs of all the adults and I can see, for the first time, a look of being completely and utterly lost.

They hauled my father up, and his shouts had turned to pleads. Then as they got further down the hall they turned into cries for my Mother.

I swallowed hard as the female nurse gently tapped my shoulder and turned to me.

"It's going to be alright sweetie." She told me in a soft and calm voice.

The lady looked me over for any wounds, but save for a few cuts and scrapes I really was unharmed. They asked me where the blood came from, but I just said, "Ms. Walters was bleeding."

Later in the day they let me see my Mom. She was strapped to a whole bunch of machines, and the doctors told me she was sleeping, but she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. I didn't understand why, but I didn't say or do anything save for shake as I held my Mom's hand.

Later on another woman came in to speak to me. She said she was a social worker and asked me if I would like to stay at a house for the night. While I had said no, opting to sleep in my mom's hospital room, the lady eventually convinced me to sleeping in a bed. I did as much, curling into a ball in the back seat of her sedan. Yet at every truck that passed up I bolted up and started to sniffle. When we finally got to a house, the woman opened the door to show me another lady.

She was beautiful, with dark skin and hair along with eyes like warm honey.

"Alice, this is Penny. She and Riley will take care of you tonight." The woman said as a lighter skinned man came to stand next to the lady. Penny smiled down at me while Riley looked at me with a slight pity. The woman ushered me in before speaking with Riley as Penny showed me to a room. I sat on the bed while she looked me over.

"Would you like to have a bath?" I heard Penny ask me. I didn't say anything. She asked me what I preferred to sleep in, but I didn't say anything. I just kept picturing the drop from the bridge, the boy on the chair, and the look of utter loss in my Father's eyes.

"My Dad isn't a bad man." I said softly. Penny paused and looked at me with an emotion I couldn't quite pin. Then she bit her lip and nodded.

"I don't think anyone is all bad Honey." She told me before getting up and walking out the door. I sat and waited to the sounds of the water running. Penny returned with a cloth and began to wipe my face and arms gently.

"Then why did they take him away?" I asked, confused. She paused before continuing.

"Because they had to help him. They weren't taking him away Dear, they were making sure he didn't get left behind." Penny said as she wiped under my eyes. Tears pricked forwards as I remembered my Dad's face and my Mom's still body underneath blankets and her face covered in tubes and masks.

"I want my Mommy." I whispered, tears freely falling the first time that day. "I want my Daddy."

Penny stopped wiping me up and looked at me with sorrow filled eyes. She then gently wrapped her arms around me and brought me to her chest. I didn't have it in me to stop her, and I began to cry louder and louder, until it turned into a wail. Penny held me all night, and in the morning she made sure I slept quietly.

The next part of my story is a bit of an interlude. You see I ended up staying with Penny and Riley for a few weeks after that, and then Penny talked about adoption. I ended up being adopted, but things never changed. From day one I felt welcomed in that household. They let me call them Aunt Penny and Uncle Riley, and sometimes Uncle Riley's best friend Uncle Sam came over and he would always bring a treat for me. I truly felt like I was part of the family. I went to school again, and started to get comfortable in my new home town in Queens. After the funeral for Ms. Walters, who didn't make it out of surgery, they officially signed the papers and I was legally a part of the family.

However this part of the story isn't necessarily important to the bigger picture. Sure I could go into grand detail of how Uncle Sam bought me a Blue Suede track for my seventh birthday, or how Uncle Riley would sing a duet with me when he was home. How sometimes I would cry to sleep because I couldn't explain how Ms. Walters put me to bed differently. Or maybe I could tell you the story of what would come to be known as the pine and apple cheesecake fiasco, maybe even explain how I got into the band The Eagles and Kings of Leon. However other than my constant visits to the hospital to see my comatose Mother, none of it truly mattered. You see, while I enjoyed every minute I got, in the end it was just a small stepping stone.

There were a lot of mysteries that happened here too. A lot of moments I'm not sure made sense. When I look back I can't figure out who paid my Mom's medical expenses, or why my Dad hadn't been sent further than the Psych Ward. They only let me visit him once, and I was on the far side of a glass pane from him. He looked awful, and I felt awful just looking at him. He was hardly a shell of who he was before.

I had walked in from school seeing Aunt Penny shake the hand of a man in a suit a few times, but otherwise I never thought anything weird was going on. So I carried on like nothing was wrong, and I went to school like a good girl. Well, then things got weird.

I remember going into town with Aunt Penny one day. She was showing me Times Square as a treat since I hadn't gone beyond Queens in about a year. We were just walking around minding our own business when an intense ray of light came from Earth and hit the sky. I stared up at it while Aunt Penny tried to pull me away.

It was then that I could see small little figures flying down from the top of the light, and they were coming down fast. Aunt Penny dragged me away as a cop car whizzed by us on the street. One of those things came flying at us and I screamed. Aunt Penny turned just in time to duck out of the way as the monster shot at the streets. But Aunt Penny tripped and dropped my hand and I ran a few more steps before realizing I had lost her. Turning back, I saw her look at me, and then behind me. Her eyes widened with fear, and she screamed.

"ALICE!"

I turned to see one of those monsters standing not far behind me; his gun aimed straight at me.

It was like everything had gone into slow motion, an intense fear came over me, but it was like my heart beat was only getting louder and not faster. The creature let out a screech as it pulled the trigger.

I watched as the light came flying at me, watched as it came closer, and in the back of my mind I knew this was it. This was happening. Not even enough time to scream, I looked into the eyes of my killer.

Then nothing.

Not nothing as in I was hit, but rather nothing as in I was no longer in that place.

Instead of was standing in a courtyard. It was dead silent compared to the loud roars of New York. There was thunder and lightning, rain poured heavily onto me and felt like it was washing me clean. The dirt that had muddled into my hair was now slipping down my face and back within seconds. I just stood there for the longest time, uncertain of what had just happened.

"You have been causing quite a bit of trouble lately."

I didn't jump at the voice, my whole body not even shaking from the cold. Instead I turned slowly to the voice. A hooded person stood just into the shelter of an overhang, watching me closely. I just stared at them over my shoulder, feeling tears freely slip down my face. No words left my mouth as I gazed at the person in a cloak. All I could see under the loose garb was their mouth, which was set in a neutral line. They stood very still for a long time before moving their hands and speaking.

"But it appears your adventure has only just begun." The said as a circle of sparks appeared at my feet. I didn't get to do anything before I was dropped through the floor. I fell long and hard from the sky, screaming when I began to see buildings below. I screamed bloody murder as I near the side of the Empire State Building. And it was only when I almost hit the ground that I closed my eyes and hit something hard.

Only it didn't hurt to hit that thing, and as I looked up from covering my face with my arms I could see nothing but red and blue. Completely confused, I looked up more to see that someone was holding me against them. One arm open as they grasped a long thin rope to swing up to the side of a building. We landed softly, and I looked up with confusion as I was gently set down.

"Easy does it, I've got you now." A young boys voice said. I looked up in awe, into a mask that concealed my saviour's eyes. I stood on shaky legs as the boy checked me over for injuries. He was asking me questions, but everything was catching up to me as I started to sniffle, sniffle, and then I cried.

"Hey- Oh! No no no don't cry! You're safe now, see? You're alright! Umm…. There there…" He awkwardly patted my head and I tried my best to not cry.

"Where- Where are we?" I asked, looking around. The place looked very much like New York to me, even through bleary eyes.

"We're on Stark Tower, but um, how did you start falling from the sky?" The boy asked me as he knelt down to my level. I sat on the roof, looking to the earth below.

You'll have to understand, at this point in my life I hadn't a clue what was happening to me. I still don't completely get it, but now I'm used to it. Back then? I had better luck finding God on a flatbread than understanding how this whole thing worked.

So as I sat down on the roof and looked up at my new hero, I couldn't help but be confused.

"I was in a courtyard and I fell." I said through hiccups as I tried to calm down. There was a long pause as the mask vigilante stared at me.

"You… Fell from a courtyard….. Into the sky…." The boy said slowly. I nodded as though it made perfect sense. The boy scratched his head.

"Okaayyyy, what's your name kid? You look kind of familiar." He said. I stared at him, wondering who he was.

"Alice, who are you?" I asked.

"Spiderman, nice to meet you- Wait, Alice Hubert? Little Alice who loved superhero comics and bragged that she talked to Tony Stark?" Spiderman started, sounding more surprised.

"Yeah…?" I answered, albeit hesitant as I didn't understand why he was so shocked.

"But- But Alice went missing years ago, and she should be almost fifteen by now? How old are you kid?" Spiderman asked. I frowned at him and crossed my arms.

"But I am Alice! And I'm eight. You don't have to be so-"

Unfortunately I didn't get to finish scolding Spiderman as I was now sitting on a pile of rubble. It looked like I was back to where I had been when that monster had shot at me. I didn't move for a moment, but instead I looked around and found that everything seemed to be over. There were ambulances everywhere, people looking and calling for people. Dead monsters were everywhere, but otherwise nothing else looked to be happening.

"Alice! Alice!"

I flinched when I heard Aunt Penny's voice. Looking over my shoulder I could see Aunt Penny limping over to me. She practically collapsed next to me and enveloped me in a hug. She was shaking so badly that I reached up and petted her hair.

I'm not sure here along the way, but sometime after this I started to get used to all the scary stuff. Honestly I think it was kind of a coping mechanism. For now I focused on soothing Aunt Penny, because she probably needed it more than me. She was crying as she kissed my dirty cheek and hugged me again.

Over her shoulder I could see several people standing together. A few were looking at me with curiosity. One of the people stood out to me in his red and gold suit.

Iron Man, or rather, Tony Stark, stood in the streets and looked at me with an almost smile. I waved at them curiously before going back to petting Aunt Penny.

"Where did you go?! I've been looking for you!" Aunt Penny sounded angry, and flashes of my Father yelling at me came back. However unlike my Dad, when Aunt Penny saw my eyes her face softened.

"I was there, but then I wasn't. I saw someone with a cloak on, and then I feel through the ground and was flying through the sky! Then this Spiderman saved me and now I'm here-"

"Wait-Wait what? Falling through the ground to the sky? Sweety did you hit your head?" She asked, checking me over.

"No, I didn't hit my head! Spiderman saved me!" I insisted. Aunt Penny's brow furrowed deeper as she continued to subtly shake.

"Pardon the intrusion Madam," I heard a deep voice before the sun was blocked out by a looming figure. "But I believe it best you get checked out as well. Perhaps I can watch your child in the mean time."

The man was big, with long blonde locks and massive muscles. I stared up at him with surprise before looking to the other side of Aunt Penny where Iron Man appeared.

"Point Break's got a- well, a point. We'll watch Alice for the time being." Tony insisted. My Aunt looked so overwhelmed by all of these people that she just nodded and Tony called over someone to help her. She wasn't taken very far, still within my sight, as I turned back to the two men. The other man knelt down in front of me and smiled gently.

"How are you, Lady Alice?" He asked in a deep baritone voice. I stared at him, into his deep blue orbs for a long moment, trying to remember when we had met.

"How do you know my name?" I asked, my brow furrowing. The man just smiled at me and glanced to Tony.

"I am friends with Mr. Stark. He has told me of your talents." The man explain. I looked to Tony for confirmation. When he nodded with a small smirk I turned back to the kneeling man and held out my hand.

"Pleased to meet you….." The man looked to my tiny hand before taking it in his.

"I am Thor, son of Odin. The pleasure is all mine." He said while gently grasping my hand in his. I found it odd that this man looked at me with such familiarity. As though he was amused by my actions in some way. I looked down to see how small my hand was in his, barely covering his palm. He was truly a big man.

"You said talents… So you believe me? I'm not crazy, neither is my Dad." I insisted, looking between the two of them. Tony's lips were in a thin line as he looked down at me before nodding. "Then can you get Dad out of the hospital? He's not a bad person, really! He's just scared too."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Thor's brow furrow before he too looked to Tony. The billionaire sighed before kneeling down as well.

"Alice, your father is very sick. If I could I would help him, but I can't." Tony said in a soft tone. "But I will make sure he is treated nicely, alright? Now I know this is going to be scary, but you'll get used to it. Right now your first job is to take it easy on your Aunt Penny. She's very scared, and as much as you probably want to tell her all this stuff, now's probably not a good time."

"But-"

"No buts, we'll figure this out, but right now you need to go to your aunt and help her too. Okay? Trust me, going back to normal will make you feel better." Tony insisted. I gulped before nodding. There was no point arguing, the adults were (sadly) usually right about this kind of stuff anyway. Both men stood tall then and looked down to me. I looked to the group still a little ways off that had a handful of individuals. One was wearing all green with long black hair, at least from when I could see. He entire time I looked at him he was staring back in our direction. He distracted me quite a bit, and Thor noticed.

"Don't worry Alice, you are safe now." Thor said down to me. I looked up to him and frowned.

"Who is that man in green? Why is he staring at us?" I asked. Thor hesitated and looked from me to Tony. The shorter man shook his head quickly before Thor looked back to me.

"That's my brother Loki, and he's probably impatient for my return." He said as he gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "Take care Alice, may we meet again."

Thor began to walk back to the group, but I noticed that Loki was still staring in this direction even as his brother returned. I stared for a moment longer before Tony put a hand to my back.

"C'mon kiddo, let's get back to your lovely aunt." Tony said before ushering me along. We returned to my aunt shortly after. Aunt Penny had a minor concussion and so Tony arranged for us to have a ride home. Everything seemed to have returned to normal too. I spent a few days home from school even after they reopened to make sure Aunt Penny was feeling okay. She was still really jumpy, and I worried she would always be now.

Our house was still standing, though there were parts of the neighbourhood that looked like they had taken a blow. Within a week the wreckage had been fixed up and the monsters were removed. I went back to school shortly afterwards. While I was there I couldn't help but think about that Spidey guy. He said we went to school together, but all of my classmates didn't quite fit the bill.

On my way home my first day back I missed the bus. Having to get used to my new routine again was a pain. I jogged after the bus for a short while before giving up. However someone else came blazing past me, only to lose the bus at the corner. I cocked my head at him as he gave up chasing our transport. When I finally got closer to him I realized he was an upperclassman.

"You're Peter Parker, right?" I asked, remembering the boy that was often bullied. He turned to look at me and awkwardly waved at me.

"Uh y-yes. How do you know my name?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Everyone knows the guy who snorted milk out his nose and then passed out." I said, shifting my weight between my feet. Peter stumbled over his words, his cheeks turning pink.

"I'll have you know I've outgrown that!"

"It three weeks ago."

He had no comeback to that. Watching him stand there, fuming, made me grin though. He looked really funny getting all flustered like that.

"I'm Alice Hubert, and it's nice to meet you." I said politely. Peter calmed down and looked at me with thin lips.

"Uh, right, nice to meet you. So um, you take that bus too?"

We ended up walking back to the school so that Peter could call his Uncle Ben to pick him up. He offered me a ride after hearing we lived just a block apart. He and I got on the same page talking about the stuff that happened just a month prior, and I slipped in that I had spoken to Iron Man and Thor. We chittered back and forth for a long time before his uncle arrived and drove us home. Apparently Aunt Penny knew Ben and May Parker, the pseudo parents to Peter, at least that was what Mr. Ben Parker told me. The knowing my Aunt part, not that he was a fake parent.

When I got home I waved to Peter and Mr. Parker before turning to see that there was a man at the door. This was a man I didn't recognize at all. He wasn't the same man that came here other times, and I was beginning to think that he was dangerous with how rigid Aunt Penny was standing. She slammed the door in his face, so I stepped around the front yard and to the back. Slipping inside, I took off my shoes before hearing Aunt Penny from the mud room. She was crying, and not just soft, subtle ones that she had done before, these were full on wails. I heard her punch the wall and jumped at the sound. When I came around the corner she was in full view. I approached her slowly, hoping to console her.

"Auntie Penny?" I asked slowly. She jolted to look up at me, her eyes completely clouded over. "What's wrong?"

"He's gone." She said in a hollow voice. "Riley's gone."

Gone? I didn't understand. Did she mean…?

"Is he- did Uncle Riley-" She never let me finish as she threw something in her hands across the room. It smashed into a vase, which shattered. The action made me jump as Aunt Penny stood up.

"He's dead! Dead! Like your nanny and your mother if they ever take her off that bloody machine-" The rage and anger in her voice died as she realized what she had done. I stared at her with shock as her hands flew to cover her mouth. She shook her head and took a step for me. "Sweetie I-"

She started to cry again, falling to the floor. The news aught up to me as I realized what she had been saying.

Uncle Riley was dead.

I didn't know the specifics, and I wouldn't learn them for many years to come.

At the time though, I just sunk to sit next to my aunt, and together we cried on the floor.

* * *

 **Hey all!**

 **So this story has a mind of it's own. As I said before, I have a ton of notes on this story, but I also have a lot of spaces for choices. And those choices are little moments that affect the story a lot. Side note: there will be a lot of references to other movies, tv, and games. Can you pick them out?**

 **So... I'm set to see Infinity War this Friday (super pumped) but I've been really thinking about the ending to this story. I knew the moment I thought of Alice how this story was going to end, and that means it likely won't be anything like the Infinity War that as out today. I will be incorporating it into the storyline once I see it, but otherwise, I'm in no rush to alter my plot.**

 **You see, it may not seem like it now, but every moment in this is very important. The first ten chapters will be me setting up the plot, and then from there carrying it out. This story is going to be a friggin' doozy. It's huge, likely 50+ chapters. So I may branch it off with a sequel at some point, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.**

 **Right now i really need feedback. The reviews (thank you so much for those who reviewed!) are very helpful for me in determining whether I'm actually being clever, misleading, or too obvious and boring.**

 **Also, again Alice could be paired with virtually anyone, so if you do think she'd be cute with a certain character please say so soon!**

 **Another thing is Chapters could range anywhere from 8,000 to 500 words, dependant on what's happening, so don't be alarmed if they suddenly get shorter. Think of this story as Alice telling you what her life was like. In some gaps it will be huge, in others very small. So don't panic if they're suddenly not as big as expected!**

 **Toodles!**

 ** _Iland Girl_**


	4. Chapter 4

**(())**

 **~.And The Stars Aligned.~**

by Iland Girl

 _'for those with gentle hands'_

* * *

 _Chapter Three_

Song Choice _: 7 Years_ by _Lukas Graham_

* * *

The thing about this time and space travelling thing is, especially when it started, there were no warning signs.

Sometimes I was lucky and it happened when I blinked, other times I wasn't so lucky. The main theme seemed to be that it was whenever I felt settled or was under attack. Extreme highs and lows in other words.

The night following Uncle Riley's death was one of those lows.

I had been sleeping in my bed, I knew I was because I always curled into a ball with my blanket wrapped around me like a burrito. I also knew that we did not have a garden. So imagine my surprise when I open my eyes to some lovely looking flowers.

They were a very pretty purple flower that had yellow and white centres. I reached other to touch one, thinking it was a marvellous dream if I could come up with such an aroma. When I touched the flower it felt just like a real one, and so I yawned and sat up. Such a strange dream, to be in a garden with such an ornate fountain and what looked to be a river flowing behind a low stone wall. The sun looked to be setting too, not what I was expecting. Where was I again? Wasn't I curled up on the floor with Aunt Penny? Oh Auntie, she was so lost. So was I, but the difference was I could hide away in this dream, at least for now.

I stood up and stretched while looking around, seeing no one in my near vicinity. Down the river I could see people, but nobody close up. Being a child, I did the one thing any child would want to do.

I explored.

Now although I could feel the dirt beneath my feet, and the cool flat stone once I reached a large building, I didn't try to think too hard about it all. Instead I focused on exploring. I marvelled at the large stone statues and the high ceilings. I gazed down the never ending halls and listened to the crackling of the flames used for the low light.

It was quiet here, hardly a whisper of a sound, and it was somehow comforting.

"You there."

I spun quickly at the sound of the voice. A man stood at the end, with a really really sharp looking spear. He stalked towards me with a menacing glare.

"Children are not permitted to wander here girl." He said in a low voice. The warning was clear, and so like a child would to evade punishment, I took off running down the hall. I didn't make it too far before I spun a corner and ran face first into something hard.

I fell back, holding my face. My nose stung as blood seeped out of it quickly. Looking up I saw that I had run into a metallic surface of armour. The armour belonged to a very scary looking woman who looked down at me with a look that could freeze fire.

"What is a child doing running through the palace so late in the evening?" A deep, robust voice asked. The sound was familiar, and as I looked over to a tall man with long golden locks it became obvious to me why.

"Thor?" I asked. The man in question quirked his head at me. I felt a slap on the back of my head and winced. What kind of dream was this? Pain, shortness of breath. I didn't understand.

"That is Prince Thor to you, girl!" The man from before snapped as he came up behind me. He grabbed onto my arm and hoisted me to my feet. "Out of the palace with you! Out!"

I ignored the man in favour for speaking to Thor, possibly the only individual who would know me.

"You were in New York, weren't you? Where are we?" I asked, trying (and failing) to plant my feet and pull back. My voice was half muffled as the blood slipped between my fingers and down my arms.

"New York?" Thor asked, cocking his head to the side. "What is this New York you speak of little one?"

"Alice! My name's Alice! I told you that before!" I insisted, only to get a smack from the man again. Thor looked between the woman standing next to him and then to me before shrugging it off.

"Then have care tiny Alice, it would be wise for you to head home." Thor said cordially as he and the woman turned away.

"But- But I can't! Thor wait! I need help!" I cried as the man dragged me down the halls. "Wait!"

He didn't wait though, and I was tossed out the front steps. When I stood the man glared at me.

"If you sneak into the palace again I'll cut your toes off little girl! Now run home to your parents." He said before resuming his post. I swallowed a lump in my throat, taking his threat seriously. What was I to do now though? With no idea what was happening, I stood up and began to walk away from the building. The roads were dimly lit, and so I took my time wandering down the pathways. My nosebleed was slowing, and after a while of pinching it the rivers dried up. I managed to gently wipe my face and arms in one of the fountains, finding the smell of copper repulsive. After that I didn't have a hot clue on what I should do, so I walked and walked, finding no reprieve anywhere I went. So I sat down beside and building, curled up, and cried.

If I were to go over the amount of times I had cried trying to figure something out I would ashamedly have to admit that I was a huge crybaby for the better part of my life. There would be many more tears shed in the future, and I'll admit some unnecessary. I would like anyone who mocks me to try being a near nine year old and being shoved into random locations. Of course to add to the dilemma, I did not know what was happening, but we'll get more on that later.

So where was I? Oh yes, I spent that night softly crying myself into silence before it dawned on me that this was no dream. I had done it again and I was already sick and tired of it. I wanted to go home to Aunt Penny and just sleep all day with her on the couch. I wanted to make cereal and watch cartoons with Uncle Riley. Most of all I wanted to see my Mom.

The next day I stayed where I was, not really bothering to move since nobody was making me. The crowds were getting bigger as the warm sun came to its peak, but I still had yet to move. It was only when someone came to act as shade for me that I lifted my head.

It was the scary lady from the day before, and she looked just as terrifying. She was looking directly at me though, as though trying to solve a puzzle. I wasn't sure what to do so I simply stared back.

"Where are your parents?" She asked me.

"Gone." Was my blunt reply. It was the first word that came to my head and seemed to fit. The woman's eyes did not soften, but she did nod as though understanding. She looked left and right down the streets before gesturing for me to get up.

"Well then, let's get going kid. C'mon, I'll buy you lunch." She offered, already starting to walk away. I stared after her for a moment, considering just lying there, but darn I was starving. So I raised to my full height of barely five feet and followed after her. The woman lead me towards the palace and I halted at the front steps. She noticed this and looked back from her climb. My eyes took in the grandeur of the building before me with wonder and awe. A palace and a prince? Where on Earth was I?

"Well? Are you coming?" She asked in an impatient tone. I looked back to her, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"The guard will cut off my toes if I do." I explained. She shrugged and continued walking.

"Then you'll have to cut his first." Was all she said before wandering into the halls. I chanced a quick glance at the faces of the guards, hoping I didn't recognize any of them. When I was certain that that particular guard was nowhere in sight I quickly scurried after the woman who had offered me food. Scuttling after her like a little mouse was all I could really do as she waltzed into the palace like she practically owned the place.

After following her through a maze of pathways she stopped before a door. With a surprising smirk that was thrown over her shoulder she then opened the doorway to reveal a rather luscious and full looking buffet. I stood beside her to marvel at it all for a long while.

"You can help yourself to anything you desire. In exchange, I want to know why you were in the gardens." The woman said. We settled at a table with the woman, who insisted I called her Lady Sif, sitting opposite of me. I started out with trying to remember my manners, but after a short while I threw those out the door because I really was starving and devoured what I could. Once I was done my meal Sif looked at me curiously.

"So why were you in the gardens?" She asked, as though asking about the weather. I came to realize that this Sif woman probably didn't care so much about me, but was rather bored.

"I just woke up there." I explained. She gave me a look as though I was telling an awful lie. "I was sleeping at home with Aunt Penny when I was suddenly here. I don't know how or why, but I am."

I felt myself get quieter at the end, realizing how crazy I sounded with the whole thing.

"And if you did just wake up there, where is your aunt you speak of?" Lady Sif asked as she chewed on a carrot.

"At home."

"Yes I understand that, but where is home? What part of Asgard are you from kid?" She asked with impatience. I frowned deeply at her words.

"Where is Asgard? Did I go to another country? I'm confused Ma'am." I said, trying to remember Asgard is any of my geography classes.

"She knows not where she is because she is of Midgard." A voice called out from the doorway. I looked to the voice while Lady Sif jumped to attention. A woman stood in the doorway, a very beautiful one at that. Much like Lady Sif, only this one did not have the anger of the woman next to me. To my surprise the sharper woman knelt down before the new entry.

"Lady Frigga! My apologies! I did not mean to-"

"It is alright Sif, you are not in trouble with me." Frigga said, but her eyes never left mine. I put down the apple I had been chewing on and properly swallowed before standing to kneel.

"I'm sorry, pease don't cut off my toes." I said in almost a whisper. The woman gave a short laugh as she neared me.

"Cut off your toes? Of course not my dear. Now can you tell me what a Midgardian such as yourself is doing here?" Frigga asked as she came closer. I looked up to see her settling onto a chair beside me. Taking the okay to move, I sat myself down too and relayed my story to her.

"I seem to have a problem Ma'am. You see, I tend to go off from one place to the next without any indication. One minute I was in a car with my family, and the next I was in a hospital in the dead of night. Only, I was there a split second after." I explained. Frigga looked curious, but not assuming.

"And then what happened my dear?" She asked me gently. I gripped the edges of my dirty clothes tightly.

"And then it stopped, for a while. I was okay, but then these monsters invaded New York. They were going to kill me, so it happened again. I was in a courtyard, but then the person there said I wasn't ready-"

"Ready? Ready for what?" She asked, sounding curious. I shook me head.

"I'm not sure- erm, my Lady. I just know that they sent me away. The next thing I know I'm falling from the sky. Someone caught me, but then I vanished again. This time I saw Tony and Thor and Loki and they-"

"My sons? You saw them on Earth?" She asked, sounding curious. I looked up and nodded shortly. "Such a curious ability. Do you have any idea why they were there?"

I bit my lip, trying to remember anything Thor said to me.

"I didn't talk with Loki, but Thor was there and I think he saved us from the monsters." I said shortly before stumbling over the word 'Midgardian' in my head. "You called me Midgardian, what does that mean?"

Before Frigga could answer a new voice came in.

"It means that you do not belong here, and will be sent back to Earth immediately." An older, masculine voice said. I looked up to see an older man striding into the room with Thor and Loki beside him. I looked at the three with confusion before turning to Frigga. She smiled gently to me before standing and looking to the new entries. Sif had knelt down again, but Thor insisted she stand.

"Odin, she has powers that could harm her." Frigga insisted. Odin sighed.

"Frigga, you have a great ability to mother, but it appears that this has extended beyond the capacities meant for you." Odin said. I looked between the two, watching Frigga grow angry.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Frigga asked with indignation.

"It means that this Midgardian does not belong here, and she will go home immediately." Odin said. I liked the sound of that actually.

"She is a child Odin." Frigga snapped.

"A child of Midgard!" Odin shouted back. "A child of a planet that is so far behind they're only recently discovered electricity! What do you think would happen if you kept her here? She would be gone in the blink of an eye! A heartbeat compared to us!"

"Then you wouldn't even notice." Frigga snapped. The two seemed to be squaring off at each other, with Frigga's sons watching them warily. I gulped, hoping to dispel any agitation as I opened my mouth.

"If I may," I began slowly, so as not to get the brunt of their force. "I agree with- erm, Odin?- I agree that I don't belong here. Earth is my home, and if this is not Earth I'm afraid I cannot stay."

Frigga looked down to me, a curiosity in her eyes.

"Thank you, my Lady, it was nice to tell someone who believes me, but I must get home. My Aunt Penny would be so worried, and- and my Uncle Riley just passed away. She needs me, and I need her." I explained. Frigga knelt down and smiled at me.

"You are always welcomed here little child. No matter what my grumpy husband says." She paused before looking at her husband. "I feel we shall meet again, so worry not if you arrive. No one will cut your toes."

I smiled, ready to thank the lovely woman, when she disappeared. Everything disappeared and I was elsewhere.

"Dang it." I muttered underneath my breath. The foliage was thick around me, making it difficult to see where I was heading as I marched. It was hot, hotter than I was used to. And humid with mosquitoes coming at me from all angles. I scraped up some mud to wipe over my arms and legs to avoid the bites of the insects around me.

I searched for what seemed like hours, not running into any life at all. Whether that was a good thing or not was still up in the air. After a while of wandering, I noticed the sun was going down. My stomach growled and my head hurt. I was just about to give up when I heard the soft undertones of a growl.

The hackles on the back of my neck raised, and I felt like there was a pair of eyes latched onto my back. Turning as slowly as possible, I came face to face with a big cat as it launched at me. I screamed, throwing up my arms and closing my eyes.

I fell back from surprise, but instead of jungle dirt I felt cold concrete beneath me. My head hurt as it banged against the hard ground. Stars burst into my vision as I opened my eyes. It took a while for me to realize I had managed to stun myself.

"Such a curious ability, and to see it in action."

I jumped up, but the dizziness made me fall back. After a moment I came to see two figures standing together across the room. It was Frigga and what looked to be Loki standing together. I jumped again and bowed quickly.

"I'm so sorry my Lady! I have no control, and a cat was about to eat me and then I'm here, and-and-" I was so worked up that I didn't realize Frigga had come back. I looked up at her and the gentle look on her face and calmed instantly.

"It's alright dear. Didn't I say we would meet again?" Frigga spoke softly to me. I furrowed my brow, confused.

"You said that, but I thought you meant a few years, not hours Ma'am." I admitted, sitting cross legged on the floor. Frigga tilted her head at me.

"My dear, it's been weeks." She explained. I stared at her for the longest time, but after a short while gave up trying to figure what was happening out and just deflated.

"I don't know what's happening to me." I said, defeated. Frigga cooed softly at me as she wrapped me in her arms. I settled there, but when I recalled that there was another person in the room I pulled back to look at him.

Up until now I had only seen him from a distance, but now, seeing him a bit closer, I could see the curiosity in his eyes. Frigga noticed my gaze, a secretive smirk on her face.

"Alice, this is my son Loki. Loki, please meet Alice." Frigga said while pulling away to stand. Loki stared at me for a second before coming a bit closer to me. I stared back at him with curiosity.

"Please to meet you sir." I said, curtseying to him. Loki had a hint of amusement in his orbs as he bent down to speak to me.

"The pleasure is mine, Alice." Loki said. I couldn't help but feel a tension raise in my neck as he stared at me. It was like a trap was being worked around me and I instantly felt on edge. Involuntarily, I took a step back. Loki raised a brow, but there was something in the tightness of his smile that made me believe he wanted that reaction.

"We should get going, my dear." Frigga said as she grabbed my hand. I didn't look away from the mischievous man until I had to as Frigga began to tug me away. Loki watched us go, an amused grin on his face as his mother pulled me down the halls.

"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to keep up with the much taller woman's long steps. It was a bit of a chore, and I opted to jog at some points while she continued on. When I looked up to her face I recognized the look in her eye. This lady was on a mission.

"We must hide you, before my husband hears of your return."

* * *

 **Hey all!**

 **Thank you so so SOOO much for the reviews! They really get this old timer going.  
**

 **I really love hearing people have an opinion of who Alice shoudl end up with, because one of them may make it to the final cut. Obviously she is still a child right now, but don't you worry, the next chapter will deal with a lot of time skips.**

 **You'll also find that much of this story will be run on. That is the start of every chapter more or less is where the prvious left off, at least with narration. Imagine that Alice is telling you this story. I really really like this style of story telling.**

 **Who saw Infinity War over the weekend?! I saw it last friday and man oh MAN I was pumped! Which is why I'm kind of... Bummed out? The Russo Brothers did a wonderful job on making an entertaining movie, but... They missed so many good opportunities. I would hate to spoil it, but I will say this. Thanos as a villain is already remarkable enough, they didn't need to spend so much time humanizing him. 'Nuff said.**

 **Also, I'm surprised many people haven't realized that Riley is a canon character... Just dropping that here...**

 **Toodles!**

 ** _Iland Girl_**


	5. Chapter 5

**(())**

 **~.And The Stars Aligned.~**

by Iland Girl

 _'for those with gentle hands'_

* * *

 _Chapter Four_

Song Choice _: 7 Years_ by _Lukas Graham_

* * *

Here's the beauty behind Asgard.

What I would later learn through a series of curious happenings is that Asgard was much much more advanced than home. I also learned that most Asgardians were very tall, which made sense why I barely came to the waists of people like Thor and Loki. Even at my full grown height later in life I stood about 5'2, much shorter than even the tiniest of Asgardians. Frigga was slightly shorter than her sons, but not by much. The Asgardians also lived a lot longer than humans- something that took a lot of thought to wrap around in my brain was that they weren't human. The Asgardians were actually a type of alien that had been revered as gods in Norse Mythology, which was sort of funny when you thought of it. I had walked the halls with a Goddess, and she was more of a mother hen than a deity to fear.

I'm getting a bit off track, where was I? Oh yes.

When Frigga said 'hide' I had expected some sort of strange cavern. A dungeon, being kept as some sort of pet really. However she instead paced down the halls so quickly that I could barely keep up. My little legs scuttled after her as quickly as I could until she came to a stop in front of a door. She knocked once with purpose before the door opened.

A much younger woman appeared on the other side of the threshold. She looked alert the moment she saw Frigga and then glanced down at me.

"My Lady?" She asked with a confused face.

"Tell Nanna that I have brought the girl." She said to the woman in a strict tone. I looked up to see a very serious look on Frigga's face. Something told me she did not like this other woman very much. I looked to the other woman who bowed politely and spared me no other glance before leaving. The moment she left Frigga turned to me and bent down to my level. Her eyes were softer and she gave me a small smile.

"I will explain everything tomorrow my dear, but until then I need to ask you to listen to Nanna." She said with a smile. My brow furrowed as I concentrated.

"But….. What if I'm gone again?" I asked. Frigga gently took my wrist and held out a little bracelet for me. She slipped it over my wrist and then waved her hand over it. The bracelet was pretty, with yellow gold carvings over a silver base. It gave a soft glow before hanging limply.

"This will help. I know this is sudden, but I will explain soon enough Alice." Was all Frigga said before the other woman reappeared with an elderly lady. The older woman looked from Frigga then down to me and back to Frigga. With one brisk nod she grabbed my shoulder and pulled me in the door before shutting it.

"Come now dear, let us get you a place to sleep!" The elderly woman, I presumed Nanna, said. I scuttled along into the room, finding many woman fiddling with things as they prepared for bed. I looked around at the high ceilings and open concept, along with the many beds with women fluttering around.

"But what's going on? Why did Lady Frigga send me here?" I asked as Nanna shoved me passed many curious gazes. I looked back at each of them, noticing that woman who had been with us at the door wandering around the room now. She narrowed her eyes at me, but Nanna dragged me along.

"I'm afraid the Queen has insisted I not say a word my dear. Just that you are to stay here for the night." Nanna said as she brought me to another door. She opened this to reveal a smaller side room. She let go of me and rummaged in one of the drawers for a while. I looked around the rather vacant room. There was no one in here, just a bed, many drawers and chests splayed about, and a painting in the back of Odin and Frigga standing before the throne.

"Here you go. Try these on." Nanna said as she handed me some clothing. It looked to be a plain cotton dress. Likely for me to sleep in. I held it in front of me, noting how much longer it was. Nanna cut it, all the while mumbling about 'tiny Midgardians'.

She placed me behind one of the dressers to change, which I did hesitantly. In the back of my mind I wondered how big Asgardians were as children if I was still deemed small. When I came back around Nanna nodded before gesturing for me to follow as she left the room.

"Skadi, be a dear and find her a cot." Nanna said. Skadi, the woman from the door, narrowed her eyes at me. "Now."

"Yes ma'am." Skadi said, not removing her eyes from me. I didn't know what I had done to deserve her attitude, but I didn't get much of a chance to figure out as she showed me to a cot in the corner of the room. On my way there many of the other women whispered and gestured at me, but I tried my best not to react.

I laid down facing the wall, and quite frankly I was so tired that I forgot dozens of eyes were staring at me and fell asleep right away.

* * *

The next day was kind of boring. I don't want to bore you so I'll skip over it a bit. Nanna woke me in the morning (early based on the sun had hardly risen) and said it was time to eat. She explained that I would be here until Frigga came to get me, and I was to do menial chores in the mean time.

I ate with what I believed to be the maids of the castle, slightly alone considering many of them were still whispering about me. After a while one of the woman came up to me with a smile.

"You look all alone dear, why don't you come sit with us?" She asked. I numbly nodded and shifted down the long table to sit next to her and their group. They asked me questions, about who I was and where I came from. But out of the corner of my eye I saw Nanna shaking her head at me. Without really knowing what to do, I just lied.

"I'm just passing through. Lady Frigga knows my Mother- weren't you all talking about Prince Thor earlier?" I asked in an attempt to side track the younger women. It worked, really well. To the point that many were swooning or blushing.

"Prince Thor! He is so handsome! Word is he and Lady Sif are an item!" One of the women said with a squeak. I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but the impression I got made me realize I just didn't care.

"What about Prince Loki?" One of the maids whispered. The squeaking settled and I raised a curious brow at their reaction.

"What's wrong?" I asked. The lady who had invited me over shook her head and looked at me.

"Prince Loki is a handsome man my dear, but he is a trickster. Do not get caught in his web of lies. Less you be like Skadi." She said the last part under her breath. The women around her gasped and laughed, confusing me more. Before I could ask what that meant Nanna came over and shooed me along.

"Come! No need for this adult talk for such a small girl!" Nanna said as she shooed me out of the dining area. She took me down a few halls to a large library and sighed. "Alright, you can start here for today. Just gently dust the books and surfaces. It should keep you busy for the day."

With that, she handed me an odd looking duster and closed the door on me. I marvelled at the high ceilings and the books that were stacked from top to bottom. I remembered Adam Senwig in my class talking about wanting a library like this, where he could disappear for hours and just read. Personally I liked a good story myself, but I was more of a teller than a reader.

So like a good girl I set about dusting the shelves for any tiny dust particles. On the very high shelves, which I got to on a rather fancy gold ladder, I noticed a lot more dust. There was one spot that had a lot of dust, so I pulled the book out to try and get behind it to wipe the dust away.

And well, I dropped it.

The book hit the ground with a loud thud. That thud echoed to much that I amazed that crazy guardsman hadn't heard it and come running in after me. I cringed for a moment before slowly climbing down the ladder and picking the rather heavy book off the ground. Not able to carry it, I dropped it down on a table and looked it over for damage. When I thankfully saw none, and proceeded to thank God for that sort of luck, I then flipped it open to see what kind of book it was. Only there was one tiny problem.

The language it was written in was definitely not English, and I wouldn't learn to read Asgardian text for a while. In short, I couldn't read it. Yet I flipped through many pictures because I could look at the pictures. Beautiful pictures that had a lot of detail and style. They looked to be hand drawn with gold shining on the edges.

"Quite a curious little one, aren't you."

I spun around, completely shocked to see none other than Loki standing there. He looked a little bit menacing with the sunlight hitting just half of him through the open window. A mischievous smirk sat on his lips as he sauntered over to me. I dared not to move, feeling as though I was being circled by that big cat in the jungle as he neared me. I felt cold when he stood over me, as though something was being pulled from me.

Loki glanced down at me, then the book opened beside me.

"I imagine Asgard is not a language you Midgardians have learned." Loki said with humour in his voice. He always sounded somewhat amused, like everything was funny.

"No, but the pictures are beautiful." I blurted out. Why did I say that? That was just a really really dumb thing to say. Loki chuckled, looking over the page as he leaned onto the table next to me to read it.

"Beautiful eh?" He murmured before scanning the page. I took the moment to really look at the prince. He was… Well, he was pretty. I liked the glimmer in his eye, but I wasn't sure I would trust it. With a bigger grin he stood tall and looked down at me.

"How about we play a game? Just a simple riddle. And if you get it right, I will teach you ten Asgardian words." Loki said with a smirk. I crossed my arms, feeling like those eyes were piercing through me. I felt extremely uncomfortable, but man was I a sucker for games.

"If I can't solve the riddle?" I asked, hesitant to know. Loki showed his hands as though assuring me there was no trick. The hackles on the back of my neck told me otherwise.

"Then I don't teach you. It's just a bit of fun my dear." Loki offered. I hesitated again before nodding.

"Okay, then what's the riddle?"

Loki smirked some more before thinking for a moment. Then, he bent down to whisper in my ear. The very action had me leaning away from him, but after doing it I realized that had been his intention the entire time.

"What do you carry everywhere you go, but it does not weigh anything?" Loki asked in a low voice. I narrowed my eyes at him and thought about it for a long time. After a short while Loki chuckled before standing tall. "I will give you until the end of the day to solve it."

Loki made a motion with his wrist and the book vanished. I looked to where the book and lain before turning to Loki with shock. He just turned away from me, but looked at me as he turned and stepped towards the door.

"I will be back, little one." He said before turning fully and exiting the library. So I dusted the library, completely stumped as to what had happened with the book and what I was going to do about that darn riddle. It didn't make any sense to me, so I huffed about it for a few hours before getting so frustrated I wished for that magic to work on me and let me vanish. It wasn't until none other than Thor came into the library, lip locked with Lady Sif, that I realized I had been sulking. The duo did not notice me, well until I 'accidentally' dropped another book. Gosh adults could be so gross sometimes.

The duo jumped at the sound and split apart. Both looked to me with curious gazes before recognition came forth.

"Tiny Midgardian! You have returned!" Thor said with humour.

"Alice." I said sharply. "That's my name, I'm sorry I don't carry a sign or…. Anything….."

Carry a sign with my name….? Carry a name….. A name doesn't weigh anything and you carry it with you always. Well, talk about anti-climatic.

"Ah yes, tiny Alice, very nice to see you again. But what are you doing in our library?" Thor questioned.

"Nanna told me to clean here. Lady Frigga said to listen to Nanna so I am." I said while continuing to clean.

"Yes well that is all wonderful but- would you mind leaving for a while?" Thor asked. I crinkled my nose as Sif cleaned up her hair a bit more before eyeing the man. Surely I did not want to know about this.

"I can't I-" I paused before a slow smirk came to my lips. "I could, if you showed me where Loki is."

"Loki? Why would you be looking for him?" Sif asked while Thor looked confused.

"I have to answer a riddle and he will teach me Asgardian." I said. Thor looked like he understood and chuckled.

"Tiny Alice, Loki is only playing games. He is not going to teach you." Said Thor. I wilted considerably at this revelation. "Now why don't you go and enjoy the gardens? Just to the left down this hall and you should find them."

Thor practically shooed me out the door, slamming it behind me. I huffed, but did as he said and went left down the hall. Only I didn't get very far as at the end of the hall I saw that awful guard who threatened to cut off my toes. He was talking to someone and turned to look down the hall. His eyes landed on me and his docile smile dropped instantly as he glared.

"You!" He shouted before running at me. My face paled considerably as I turned and ran the other direction. It's a lot harder to run in slippers than bare feet, so I ditched them and sprinted away. As I ran and ran I started to forget where I should go and instead opted to just run. That lead me to run smack dab into someone's chest again and fall over. Thankfully my face met cloth instead of armour so my poor nose was relieved of that.

"You little brat! Ah, my Prince, forgive me. This little rat has come into the palace before." The guard sneered at me. I heard a chuckle and looked up to none other than Loki. He looked down at me with amusement before looking to the guard.

"I hope you weren't planning to harm her. She is my guest after all." Loki said with amusement as I got to my feet. The guard looked stunned as he looked between the two of us before bowing down.

"Ah, my apologies your majesty! Excuse me." He said, waiting for Loki to nod before going back down the hall. Not before he sent a withering glance at me. "And what were you doing, being chased down the hall like some animal?"

I looked up to Loki to see that he looked partially amused still. Was I that funny to him? I was beginning to believe that he just didn't take me seriously at all. Frankly I didn't blame him.

"Thor and Lady Sif came in, and Thor kicked me out." I explained. Loki stopped grinning for a half a second before it came back even harsher.

"Is that so? My brother has never be a subtle man, but I suppose it worked out in the end." Loki said. He glanced down the hall before going to walk off. I remembered the riddle then.

"A name." I blurted out. Loki stopped and looked down at me curiously. "You carry it everywhere but it doesn't weigh a thing."

He seemed to have recalled our little game and paused before grinning widely.

"Well are you not a clever little Midgardian." He said. I wasn't sure how I felt about how he said that. I shifted for a moment, not sure what to say. "I suppose I shall have to hold up my end of the bargain, but another day. For now, I believe I have somewhere to be."

Loki sent a secretive glance to me, halting any rebuttal I had against him. He left me standing there in one piece, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a huge need to understand those secretive or amused smirks.

The rest of my day went by rather calmly. I was retrieved at some point by Nanna, who scolded me for leaving the library, but she only brought me back and made me clean. I felt like telling her that she should not open the door, but Thor and Lady Sif had vanished by now and I was left to idle around.

After dusting the majority of the library, I was fetched by Skadi, who glared at me quite a bit while showing me to Lady Frigga's chambers.

We were still outside the entrance way, but I could hear Frigga and Odin shouting at one another.

"It cannot stay here Frigga. She belongs with her people." Odin said sharply.

"She is a child! How could she possibly survive this alone?" Frigga snapped back. Feeling uncomfortable, I looked to Skadi. She glared down at me.

"It is you they fight over. My king and queen are at arms because of some Midgardian pet." She said under her breath. I simply stared at her, confused as to what made her hatred for me so strong. Skadi cleared her throat as she entered the room before bowing. When I did not bow she kicked my shin and I took that as the incentive to do so.

"My King and Queen, the Midgardian as requested." Skadi said.

"Thank you my dear, you may leave." Odin said. So much for hiding me. I got the sense that Frigga was surprised to see me, as she looked from me with confusion then over to Skadi with distaste. I stood tall and watched the woman leave the room.

"We shall come to the end of this argument," Odin announced. This gained my attention as I looked to the old man. He sized me up with his one eye narrowed. He scrutinized me as though judging me to the last hair on my head. "Tell me why I should let you stay here child."

Frigga went to speak on my behalf, but Odin raised an arm to stop her.

"I wish to hear her words." Odin said in a dismissive tone. Frigga quieted as both giants looked down at me standing across the room. Odin gestured for me to come closer while I spoke.

What was I to say though? There wasn't really anything I could say to persuade him. I didn't belong here, I was an invader and an oddball among Gods. So what was there to say?

"Frankly, I believe you're right sir, I don't belong here," I said. Odin seemed to consider my words while I continued. "I want to go home and see Aunt Penny, and see Peter and just go to school."

Frigga and Odin looked at one another.

"But I can't," I said while they looked back to me, "I can't because something keeps taking me away, and it keeps taking me to different places. And I would stop it, if I could, but I can't."

There was a silence as Odin sized me up again. I wilted a little under his gaze, not really sure what would happen to me if Odin decided to kick me out. I didn't even know what was going on for the most part. I was really just rolling with it as much as I could.

"Then should we teach you to control it, would you remain out of Asgard, and stay within your realm?" Odin asked. I nodded immediately and he gave a hum of consideration. "Then it is as Frigga said. She shall monitor that you keep your oath."

I looked between the two, confused as Odin gave a dismissing wave to me and looked back to his wife. Odin smiled to her with a warmth in his eyes that missed me. She smiled back before giving a short bow and turning to me. She walked briskly across the room before grasping my hand and pulling me away. My last glance at Odin was of him walking across the room with a thoughtful expression.

"What just happened?" I asked, completely lost as to what had just happened. Frigga smiled at me and squeezed my hand.

"My husband has granted you refuge." She explained.

I didn't understand what that was, considering I had never heard the word before, but I figured it wasn't a bad thing if Lady Frigga looked so pleased.

We continued to walk for a short while before stepping in to a room with many people standing around a table. They bowed to Frigga when she walked in. I watched as they awaited me to get closer before instructing me to settle on the table.

It was almost like Frigga knew Odin would give in…..

"Be still Alice, we will solve this soon." Frigga said before stepping back and awaiting the results. I took a breath and closed my eyes; awaiting for further action.

It was time to figure out what was causing these strange jumps why.

* * *

 **Ayyyyyy! Look who updated!**

 **Yeah I've been circling the drain on this story as a friend of mine brought up another cute pairing for Alice.**

 **I've been really considering it, and Alice will likely have a few relationships, but mostly one main one that will likely be a slow build. I dunno, none of my stories feel complete without a bit of romance, don't you think?**

 **So Alice is still on Asgard eh? Well, she's in for a few moments between Thor, Loki, and Frigga. I've got so much going on in my head I just gotta get it out there.**

 **Like I said before, Alice will be changing a lot of things later in the story, but obviously with time/space travel you gotta make it hard on them, so let me start by saying one thing:**

 **This story is not about being physically strong. Alice is not a 'fighter' per se, rather she uses her brain over brawn. This story is sort of a replication to the underlying theme of Lord of the Rings. Also, Infinity War will definitely be different. Like I'm gunna eff this stuff up so bad man...**

 **Oh yeah, who could you see Alice being played by? I'm curious what actress you would choose.**

 ** _Iland Girl_**


	6. Chapter 6

**(())**

 **~.And The Stars Aligned.~**

by Iland Girl

 _'for those with gentle hands'_

* * *

 _Chapter Five_

Song Choice _: 7 Years_ by _Lukas Graham_

* * *

I laid in my bed that night with only a mild percent less concern. My head was pounding from all the noises and bright lights.

The people hadn't spoken much to me, but from the hushed whispers and looks Frigga was giving me I could tell it wasn't good news. Still she gave me a smile and when they were done took me to eat. Frigga asked me questions about home, about school and books and what I liked. She seemed to be trying to distract me, but I could see it in her eyes that the news was not good. When I finally got the courage to ask her what it was she just stared at me with a mildly perplexed look and said "Nothing."

Nothing?

Nothing.

The word rolled around in my head until it didn't feel like a word anymore. It felt like gargle, and no matter what I did I couldn't put it back together properly. How could I have nothing wrong with me? How could I just- just be in one place and then the next so suddenly? When I looked down at my bracelet, I began to wonder just how truthful Frigga was being with me.

I fell asleep shortly after that thought, only to be awoken by someone shoving me from my bed. My glare fell on Skadi, who sauntered by me with her chin raised.

"Nanna requests you rise." She said airily before leaving. I didn't know what I had done to annoy her so badly, but I had a feeling I would be paying for it for a while. I wasn't a huge fan of bullies, but now wasn't the time.

I dressed in a miniature version of the maid's robes and readied myself for breakfast. This would become my routine for a few weeks before I adjusted. Over time I would clean many rooms in the castle, run errands, and even help in the gardens. Being a maid wasn't hard work, but it was tiring and tedious.

Several times I had seen Thor or Loki in the distance, and while the God of Mischief had noticed me neither one approached. I had the feeling Thor forgot of my existence, and if it hadn't been for Sif glancing at me every now and then I might've thought I really was invisible.

Frigga kept her distance for a few days, but she looked rather frazzled each time I saw her. When she did request me for lunch again our conversations were about everything but what they should have been about.

"Tell me more about this man of iron that you are so fond of. He sounds rather curious." Frigga mused as she sipped her tea. I think my favourite part to our lunches were that Skadi had to serve us and she couldn't misbehave in front of the Queen.

Amongst my work for room here, Frigga had given me many transcribed books to read to pass the time. While I wasn't the type to always have my nose in a book, I did enjoy a good read now and again.

Before I could explain my hero to Lady Frigga, there were rather obnoxious shouts coming from outside the dining hall. We both glanced up to see Thor enter with his trio of warriors and Sif astride with him. Loki quietly following after them with a sly grin on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he caught my gaze. Immediately I looked down to my food instead, shamed I had been caught staring.

"Mother! So good to see you. Ah, and Tiny Alice, you're still here." Thor said as he slapped me on the back so hard I was almost sent flying across the table. He sat down next to me with next to no grace while Frigga just smiled at him. The warriors three, as I had heard them called across the castle and gossiping maidens, all sat down around us, with Sif sitting next to Frigga. They all bowed to her before doing so, save for Thor and Loki, the later sitting on the other side of his mother and being rather quiet.

"Alice was just telling me stories of her home." Frigga said. I glanced up at Thor to see him chuckle, but otherwise busy himself with his meal.

"What tales could you tell, little lady?" One of the three warriors asked. The other two were stuffing their mouths already, the third joining in shortly afterwards. I went to speak, but a quick glance at Loki made me lose my nerve. He sat so quietly, eating with much less vigour compared to his companions. He and Sif were much more graceful and quiet about their eating habits. Even Thor made me look civilized in comparison with his awful table manners.

"Another!"

I jumped when Thor slammed his cup on the ground. Skadi rushed to clean it up, producing another goblet to place in front of Thor. The others seemed to do the same, while Frigga, Sif and Loki did it with much more grace and far less zest. I stared at him with utter confusion, watching as the warriors three chowed down as well. One more so than the others. Thor caught my eye and glanced down at me while sipping from his goblet. His brow furrowed to match mine as I eyed him over.

"Something wrong, Tiny Alice?" Thor asked before going back to his meal. I watched with mild disgust as he threw that goblet down as well and requested another. Skadi came in and served him as she did before.

"You have horrible table manners." I informed him. Thor looked down at me, along with the other members at the table. However amusement was all I saw on Thor's face.

"Is that so? Then tell me, what is good manners where you are from?" Thor asked while eating. I looked between them and frowned.

"Well for starters, you don't need to eat with your fingers. Ms Walters would slap me with a spoon if I did. And- And you don't throw your cups! And you sit quietly and straight. Like him." I said, looking over to Loki, who was by far the most civilized male at the table. Frigga glanced between myself and Loki before smiling. Loki himself eyed me without turning his head while he continued to slowly chew. Thor laughed loudly beside me before patting my back hard. I lurched before frowning.

"Well Tiny Girl, here it is very different. We enjoy our meals so much that we must make a show. By throwing your cup you are praising the feast and showing your gratitude." Thor said before downing his drink in one chug before slapping the drink to the floor.

"Here, you try it." Thor encouraged, holding up my nearly empty goblet. I bit my lip.

"Ms Walters would have a cow." I said softly. Thor roared with laughter at that.

"I have never heard of such folly. A midgardian having a cow? Absurd! Tell me, who is this Ms Walters you speak of?" Thor asked. I smiled a bit at that.

"Oh she's my nanny. Um, the lady who takes care of me. But she... I mean I think she's….." My voice became quiet as I tried to speak, but failed. I looked down at the bench for a moment. Shortly afterwards a goblet was thrust in front of my face. It was mine, and was half filled with water. I took it with both hands, my tiny ones barely the length of Thor's fingers, before looking up at him. Thor was giving me a soft smile as he looked down at me. He grabbed his own goblet and offered it out to me.

"Drink with me, Tiny Alice, to this Ms Walters." Thor said. I stared at him for a moment before smiling. I raised my goblet to his and clinked them together.

"Cheers." I said before tipping it up toward my lips. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Thor not slowing down in his drinking, and realized he intended to down his whole glass. A rage of competitiveness flooded through me as I began to guzzle the water in my cup as quickly as I could. Thor finished before I did, but waited until I was finished. I gasped for breath and wiped my mouth clean before grinning at Thor. He held out his goblet; I understood and did the same. Both of us smashed them to the ground at the same time.

"Another!"

* * *

The maids quarters was a bustle of gossip that evening. Many of the maids hearing how I had sat with the princes and queen of Asgard. Some of the younger women gathered around me, asking me what the princes were like, what Frigga was like. Honestly they were all asking so rapidly that I didn't have time to answer them. All it took was a scathing look from Skadi to quiet the gossiping hens.

"A little pet has been given a seat at the table. What next? Shall were dine with the horses and eat off the ground?" Skadi said with a bite as she passed me. My brow furrowed, a frown deep set on my face. The beautiful woman just smirked and continued on past me. She strode towards the set of doors to exit the maids quarters with purpose.

"Skadi, where do you think you're going?" Nanna called from across the room. I glanced at her, all ready for bed and in her night dress. Yet she looked ready to kill as she glared to the blonde beauty. Skadi slowed in her march up to the doors before gracefully turning. With a wicked smile she looked directly at Nanna.

"Duty calls." She said airily before continuing her trek out the door. Nanna gave a heavy sigh before turning to leave. She slammed her door shut when she left. I looked between all the maids, curious as to what was happening. Although we were given freedom to walk as we wished when we were not working, it was not deemed appropriate for us to walk around after dark. Which only made me wonder why Skadi thought she could leave like she did.

From the whispers the slipped past the lips of many of the younger maids, I wasn't the only one.

We went to sleep shortly after the encounter, or at least I tried to. There was something that kept me up, tossing and turning, but I couldn't quite place it. I felt an energy within me, a tension I wasn't keen to.

Sliding out of bed, I snuck away from the maid's quarters and out to the library. I wasn't sure why, but I wanted to go in here. When I did, I found the shelf I had been cleaning the day I had spoken with the prince. He never had taught me how to read Asgardian…

Standing on the ladder, I climbed to the top, looking out to the shelf that the book had fallen from. Just then the door to the library opened and a pair stumbled in through the door. Unlike last time where Thor and Sif had come in, it was now replaced with a new pair of Asgardians.

Skadi giggled as Loki pushed her against a book shelf. I watched with confusion as he pressed his lips to her neck, before it dawned on me what he was doing. I tried to look away, but my orbs betrayed me and stared at the couple. My cheeks flushed as Skadi gasped, my grip on the ladder tightened. Loki stopped, lifting his head from Skadi's neck to stare at her.

"It seems we have an observer." Loki said, his head slowly turning to look at me. My cheeks flushed deeply then, and I watched as Skadi glared at me.

"The midgardian swine! What are you doing out of bed?" Skadi shouted at me. I glared at her and frowned.

"What about you? Why are you out of bed when Nanna said you would be punished?" I quipped back without missing a beat. Loki smirked at me while Skadi growled.

"Come down little one, do not stay the whole night up there." Loki said with smirk that betrayed the gentleness in his voice. Hesitantly I lowered myself until my feet touched the ground. Skadi glared at me still, but Loki simply waved off her anger.

"I ought to punish you for being so insolent!" Skadi snapped. I glared back at her, though my nerve was weak. Loki chuckled and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Skadi, you cannot tame a wild beast by beating it into submission. You must ensnare the mind first." Loki said. My eyes snapped to his, insult built in my chest.

"I'm not a beast!" I cried indignantly. Loki chuckled, the dark tone now matching the look in his eyes. He walked towards me, and I instinctively took a step back.

"My little pet, that is all you are," he said lowly as he towered above me. My back hit the shelf, and he stopped barely two feet from me. "And that is all you will ever be."

I looked up at him, at the amusement on his face, and felt so upset that I pushed my way past him and ran out the door. Back to the maids quarters and finally into my bed. While I had disrupted a few sleepers in my stay, most were quiet as I silently fumed in my bunk until sleep took me.

* * *

I had a strange dream that night.

At first I thought I had skipped, it was so real to me.

I was sitting in a train station. The smells of the people, the sounds of the announcements and calls for the train, and even the texture of the bench beneath where I sat all felt so real to me. And yet the dream was surreal, because despite my senses claiming to know all of these things to be there, within a blink of an eye they were not.

The station was empty.

The lights flickered.

There were no more trains for the night.

* * *

I spent the next few days fuming. Each time I saw Skadi I openly glared at her and even acted childish by sticking out my tongue. Only when Nanna threatened to cut it off did I stop doing it, but still willingly scowled at Skadi each chance I could get. The woman hid none of her disdain for me either. Though I had no idea what I had done.

"Tiny Alice, you have polished that poor goblet for half the day. Surely you have other chores." Thor said as he and his crew all sat for lunch. Today I would be helping another maid clean up, but in setting the table for the family and friends I had been preoccupied with my seething and wiped a single goblet for a long while. I forced a smile to Thor and filled the goblet before handing it to him.

"I'm sorry, my prince. I was distracted." I said before returning to my duties. My eyes spied Loki sitting just down the table, the other maid circling round that end. He never so much as glanced at me and it got me angry. I wanted him to apologize so badly.

"My prince? Has the little lady learned some manners?" One of the warriors three asked in jest. I turned to him and grinned.

"Of course not! I am an untameable beast! Uncultured and unfit for manners!" I exclaimed. Frigga gave me a look and I quickly went back to work. Not before Thor laughed at my outburst.

"Take these dishes back to the kitchen." The other maid told me as we loaded the last of them on the trolly. I would have to bring more goblets back with the way Thor was inhaling his mead.

"Yes ma'am." I said before pushing the little trolly out of the dining hall. I returned with more goblets, but as I came to the door a figure stepped out. It was none other than the younger prince. Loki stared down at me for a second, and from the amusement on his face I had revealed my indignation. I forced myself to keep moving with my trolly past him. Or I would have, had he not forcefully stopped it by placing a hand on top so suddenly it made me jump.

"You wouldn't be ignoring me now, are you, pet?" Loki taunted. I looked up at him with hard eyes as I frowned. He leaned on the surface, towering over me still.

"I'm not a pet." I snapped. Loki chuckled.

"You claimed to be a beast of untameable measures, yet you also claim to be above it. What folly. Little pet, admit yourself and perhaps I will leave you be." Loki said. I stayed silent for a moment, not sure what to say. There was no way to change his mind or make him respect me. So I did what I knew how to do.

"I lied, I'm not a beast, I'm just Alice." I said, looking down. I tried to move the trolly to no avail. Loki looked down at me with a raised brow. He looked confused at my answer, frowning slightly. His hand left the trolly as he stood tall and made to step around me.

"What a boring little pet. I have grown tired of you. Off you go to your tasks." Loki said, and as if adding insult to injury, he waved over his shoulder at me. I glared hard at him, not sure what to say again, so I blurted out what was in my head.

"You're awful!" I shouted. Loki stopped in his walking, then turned a moment later. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Did you say something, midgardian?" Loki said in a low voice. He wanted me to cower, to back pedal, but I refused to move.

"You can't make me afraid of you." I snapped. Loki took slow, languid steps towards me.

"Oh but I can, little beast. I can make you do whatever I want. I can get whatever I want out of you at a moments notice." He said as he stopped in front of me. He was so terrifying to look at that it took all of my strength not to run away screaming.

"Is-Is that why you- Is that why you pouted when you didn't get what you wanted from me? If you don't get what you want it's boring? Or is it because you want what you can't have-"

"Enough!" Loki yelled as he slammed a fist into the wall beside me. I jumped, thinking it best to run at this point but unable to get my legs to move.

"Loki, that is enough. She is but a child."

I nearly melted into a puddle when Thor came from inside the dining hall. My eyes went from Loki to Thor, seeing Loki do the same to me and his older brother. He then sneered at me before turning and storming off. The massive eldest brother gently touched my shoulder to get my attention.

"At ease Tiny Alice, Loki can have a sharp temperament at the best of times. You would do well not to prod at him so vigorously." Thor said. I felt a little bit ashamed, my cheeks turning red.

"He was being so mean. He called me a pet." I pouted. Thor chuckled and knelt down in front of me.

"A pet? Surely not. You are untameable Tiny Alice." Thor teased. I couldn't help but smile a bit at that. "And do not be so harsh at my brother. As the second oldest he has to work hard to compete with me. Not to mention I am the greatest warrior that has graced Asgard in millennia." Thor finished with a not so humble brag. I laughed and smiled.

We eventually returned to the dining hall, Frigga seemed very aware that something had been amiss but said nothing to me. My day continued on as per the norm, that is until Skadi approached me suddenly as I finished cleaning the library.

"Nanna told me to find you and bring you to clean the vault." Skadi said in her typically bored tone. She seemed annoyed to even be talking to me, but that was pretty normal. I decided to just go along with what she was saying for the time being instead of arguing. The less time I had to spend with her the better.

She lead the way down to the vault. I hadn't been down here before and it gave me the creeps.

"Did you know the guardian will kill anyone Odin deems an intruder to the vault?" Skadi teased as she lead me down the steps. I hesitated for a moment and considered turning around. However the way Skadi said it made me believe she was trying to scare me. I said nothing as I continued on after her.

When we got to the bottom, I marvelled at all the gadgets inside. As much as I wanted to run up and touch everything, I also knew that was probably a bad idea, considering even Skadi was staying clear of everything. She walked further in to the vault, so I followed her until she stopped at a pit. I stood beside her, seeing that the pit was pitch black and I could not tell how far down it went. Instinctively I stepped back, Skadi smirked at this.

"Wise choice, but an even wiser choice?" She said as she grabbed my arm. I stared at her grasp and then her face. It twisted into a dark smirk. "Staying away from what is mine."

For a second I thought she was going to toss me into the pit, but then she laughed in my face and let me go. I stared after her for a moment as she turned away from me and walked a distance. She stopped a short ways away.

"Prince Loki has only had eyes for me. So why does a little pet humour him so? I suppose he thinks you amusing….."

She whipped around to face me.

"But I don't!"

I took a step back in reaction only to find that there was no ground beneath me. Instead of being tossed in, Skadi had chased me in of my own accord.

The darkness surrounded me, consumed me.

The last thing I saw was the image of Skadi looking down at me as she peered over the side of the pit.

* * *

 **Ayyyyyy! Look who updated!**

 **Yeah, I've been away but with good reason.**

 **Before I give my excuse, let me say I was having way too much fun writing this. I always feel like I've rushed it out, but in truth it's just because I want Alice to stay in Asgard forever.**

 **But alas, I must move on. She has so many people she has yet to meet, places she hasn't been. Poor alice will be in for a ride! I'm curious, who do you want Alice to meet the most? I'm more asking out of curiosity, helps me see how yu view my character.**

 **So last year I took a huge step and made a big career change. I stopped my training in verterinary medicine and took up Acting and Directing. In september I qualified for a second year acting program and also took on some film roles for small films in my city. So I've been very very busy. Not to mention regular life and a normal 9-5 job I have to deal with.**

 **I've also noticed the trend of I only write now when I'm stressed. And Today I'm super stressed. My first official play goes up net week and I'm so nervous for it. Not to mention I've also possibly got a chance to direct a play next season with another group. So i'm very excited.**

 ** _Iland Girl_**


	7. Chapter 7

**(())**

 **~.And The Stars Aligned.~**

by Iland Girl

 _'for those with gentle hands'_

* * *

 _Chapter Six_

Song Choice _: 7 Years_ by _Lukas Graham_

* * *

I landed on my arm, which was a big mistake. There was a clicking sound as I rolled slightly on impact. I squeaked and squirmed, doing my best not to draw attention to myself as I clawed at the ground with my good hand. It took a good minute or two for me to realize I could even see my hands. Wasn't I supposed to be in a deep, dark pit that was impossible to see the bottom from the top?

Curious.

When I sat up, I saw that it was in fact dirt beneath myself and not the cold stone of the vault. I had skipped again, this time to a rather familiar looking place.

"Are you alright?"

I looked up at the voice to see a rather small boy looking at me. He looked me over once, then settled on the wrist that was gently held in my good palm.

"I saw you fall from the top of the slide. You okay?" He asked with what looked to be honest concern. I stared at him for a moment before shifting to sit in a seated position.

"Um, yeah. I'm- Yeah I'm fine." I said, glancing up to see the slide he was talking about. From his angle he probably didn't see that I fell a heck of a lot further than a ten foot slide. The thing about Skipping I never understood was how the physics side worked. How I had fallen over fifty feet and lived that day still baffled me.

The boy looked at me again, then up to the slide. Only now did I realize there were many kids running around, a lot of them rushing for the slide.

"They didn't push you, did they?" He asked. I shook by head right away. No need to cause any trouble.

"No, I just fell." I said dismissively. He glanced at me again before smiling.

"Wanna play in the sandbox?" He offered. I smiled and nodded. We made our way over to the sandbox, back the way I presumed the boy had come from. He had some toys in there and I came to sit across from him as he showed me his little shovel and bucket. My guess was he had been in the middle of building a castle when he saw me fall. He continued to build it, offering me a shovel to share and build the rest of the wall.

Through out my adventures, I would eventually learn adaptability was key to survival. Adapting at a moments notice to what was happening around me. Learning to think on my feet. Little did I know that this little boy and I would be getting into a lot of trouble later on.

He told me his name - Steve- and that his mother was the pretty woman sitting on the bench chatting with another mother. Steve commented that I was dressed funny in a large shift with a second layer for warmth. He asked where mine was and I just vaguely gestured to the park. Steve looked around but said nothing as I clambered to talk about something else. Discreetly I asked what year it was - 1933- and figured mentally I should try to keep track of this.

I had fun making sandcastles with Steve, but as the sun started to set and children began to leave, his mother came to get him too. The woman looked down at me, smiling warmly.

"Hello how are you darling?" She asked me. I smiled and shrugged, not sure what else to say. "Where is your mother?" She asked while gently encouraging Steve to get ready to go. I casually shrugged and looked away from her.

"She went for a walk." I said without a hint of sorrow. Good for me. Steve's mom smile faltered, but she simply nodded.

"Well, it's time for us to go. Steve, we should head home for dinner. You haven't have your medicine yet dear." The woman said with such love in her voice it made my heart clench. Like a ghost I felt more than heard my own mother's presence as she spoke soft words to me. How I wanted to hear those sweet melodies again….

"Yes Mom, see ya later, Alice." Steve said as he gathered his toys before taking his mother's hand. I smiled and waved with my good had as they walked off.

Now the park was empty, the wind was slightly picking up. I wasn't sure what to do, so I got up and began to walk.

The city looked really different, kind of like the museums we used to go to on field trips. I remembered going to the Captain America exhibit, but I was more interested in the dinosaurs across the hall at that time. Maybe ifI had been looking all this wouldn't look so strange.

I began to walk through housing, kicking an old can along the way as the wind nipped at my skin. The dress caressed my legs and the wind blew the sleeves of my dress around. It was probably fall, considering any trees I did see were leafless but not white with snow.

My can kicking was distracting enough, that is until I went to kick the can and missed. I had to turn around to get back to it and noticed something in the distance.

A figure, that stood at the other end of the street. They stopped when I noticed. I stared for a long second, before they began to walk towards me again. A chill ran up my spine as I turned to walk the other way. A quick glance over my shoulder told me that the person was still following.

My pace quickened.

I felt my heartbeat double as I looked again to see them still following. Down a different street- I did my best not to break into a sprint despite not knowing where was heading.

It was starting to rain.

Another glance over told me they were following still, and walking a lot faster.

No no no no-

"Alice?" I halted, looked ahead, and saw Steve's mother standing on a small landing. She looked at me, shaking in the cold as I continuously glanced over my shoulder. The woman noticed my distress, for at the end of the street the figure had stopped. "Why don't you come inside for a moment?"

I didn't hesitate, finding that dealing with her seemed a lot more sensible than that person following. Once inside the woman touched my shoulder before looking at me in shock.

"You're freezing sweetheart!" She said. "Steve! Honey, come here!"

From across the house I could hear footsteps. Around the corner came Steve, who did a double take at me.

"Alice?" He asked. His mother cut him off though.

"Steve she's freezing. Get one of your shirts won't you? And some trousers." His mother asked in a gentle but rushed tone. Steve nodded and was gone right away. The woman gently pushed me to sit at a kitchen table. I didn't realize how cold I was until I noticed the table wood felt warm. My arms were shivering, I was nearly banging my bad wrist against the table with each shake until I coiled it into myself. My hair was damp but not sopping wet like it could have been. Now I could hear the wailing of the winds and rain outside and felt immediate gratitude to the two taking me inside.

"Where is your mother?" The woman asked me. I looked at her, and the fear must have been in my eyes because she didn't repeat herself.

Steve returned not two seconds after her question and she ushered me to the bathroom. I was given the clothing to change into, and left to my own devices. Shakily I managed to change, but the clothing was a tad tight on me. Considering how tiny Steve was it didn't really surprise me. I came out, and Steve's mother immediately wrapped me in a blanket and put me on the couch. Steve came and sat by me to keep me company.

"Where is your mom? She's gunna be so worried about you." Steve said as he wrapped his house coat tighter around himself. I looked at him and the light in his eyes dimmed at my expression. There wasn't really anything for me to say other than she was gone. They were smart enough to realize that, so instead I curled my head into the blanket and sniffled. Trying my besets not to let a peep out, though a few soft cries escaped.

A hand gently rested on my head. I looked up to see Steve leaning over me, an expression of confidence in his eyes.

* * *

Weeks passed.

They didn't kick me out.

Steve's mother- Sarah- did make me do chores though. At this point chores were so normal I continued on like I had at Asgard. I cleaned everything very well, Sarah often giving me curious looks at how I cleaned.

I learned very very quickly to curb the habit Thor had begun when I accidentally smashed a glass onto the floor and got bewildered looks from both other occupants.

Note to self: be aware of cultural differences wherever I go…

Sarah instilled manners acceptable in this place very quickly, and I learned my table manners with increase flexibility. I would come to understand cultural differences eventually, but for the time being I had to adjust to what was left in front of me.

Three weeks into staying and Sarah told me I needed to go back to school. She had not enrolled me yet but I was supposed to start helping Steve with his homework (or rather Steve show me how to do his homework). I had learned to read rather well in my time at Asgard, being able to understand a lot of the bigger words, though I still didn't know that many…..

Maths was awful. Geography…. I had an inkling it would be my downfall over the years. So many different lands with so many different climates and habitats…..

My head still hurts trying to remember all of them.

Steve, I learned, got sick a lot. I mean, a lot a lot. The doctor came by at least once per week to check on him. He would get a cold just from not wearing enough to school.

When Steve was home we would play together, at least as much as he could. When he wasn't home I would read different books, draw, or clean.

"Well I have to say, this house has never been so clean." Sarah said as she walked in the back door. I smiled, finishing setting up the table and checked the soup to see if it was ready. Sarah looked so relieved that dinner was ready upon arrival. She nearly collapsed in a chair at the table before I held out my hand to take her coat. She looked up at me with an expression I couldn't quite decipher before handing it over and smiling at me.

"You don't need to do all of this sweetheart. You're a guest in my home." Sarah said as I hung her coat up. I immediately went back to the soup and stirred.

"I know, but it's not right. If Momma found out I-" I caught myself, choking down a few tears that sprung up and hunched over while I tried to right myself. Sarah was behind me in a second, turning me around. The warmth in her smile made me tear up even more. She cooed to me, wiping the tears away. I tried to smile, and Sarah took me in for a hug.

Sarah never asked about my Mother, or Father, but I think she knew that I wasn't going to explain it to her either.

"I-I'll take the soup to Steve. He's not feeling well." I explained. Sarah smiled before setting up the tray with two bowls of soup. I looked up to her to say something but she just pinched my cheeks.

"Why don't you keep him company? He enjoys when you sit and chat." Sarah said. I nodded before taking the tray to Steve. He was under several blankets in his small room. I set the tray on his nightstand and pulled up a seat. Steve had been resting when I walked in, but the moment I sat down his eyes had opened. I looked at him and immediately wanted to smile. Gosh he had the most beautiful eyes. He smiled back in his usual grin and began to sit up. I stuffed more pillows behind him and prepped the flat bed table over his thighs.

"If you keep treating me like this I'm going to feel unmanly." Steve joked as he settled in. I placed the soup on the table in front of him and grinned.

"Wouldn't want that. I'll put more cabbage in the soup next time. Thor says it puts hair on your chest." I said while taking my own soup bowl into my lap. Nothing had spilled, but I put a napkin over my lap just in case. Steve placed a napkin I handed to him over his shirt before gently taking sips of soup after blowing on it to cool.

"Thor? Who's that?" Steve asked. I smiled, taking another sip before explaining myself.

"A…. I guess he's a friend? His mother took me in before you both did." I said between sips. Steve glanced at me, an unasked question in the air. I paused before looking down at my bowl. "I've…. Been travelling a lot. Because I can't go home."

There was a silence in the air while Steve looked at me. Then he turned to his soup and took a sip.

"I like to sing, but I'm not very good at it." Steve inserted. I was immediately grateful and smiled up to him.

"I like to draw, but I'm not very good at it." I countered. Steve grinned.

"I can draw." He said.

"I like to think I can sing."

Steve finished his soup and waited for me to finish. I cleaned everything up, but when I went to do dishes Sarah shooed me away. She told me I had earned my bath and sent me to wash up first. I did, but left the water for her. This whole time I had been wearing Steve's clothing, but Sarah surprised me today by gifting me with a pretty blue night dress. She asked me to try it on before getting into my night gown.

I changed and walked out in it, grinning ear to ear at the smile on Sarah's face. Steve had walked out of his room then and shook his head. Muttering about girls being silly. The grin on his face told me otherwise though. I spun around before looking at Sarah.

"Thank you. Thank you." I whispered over and over again. Sarah held open her arms for a hug, and we both cuddled before offering for Steve to join. If I had earned anything about these two, it was thatchy had a closer bond than anything I had ever seen. Steve loved his mom, and he wasn't afraid to show it.

The three of us hugged for a while, and it was the closest thing to a full family I had had in a long time. My mind immediately brought me to Penny, and a heavy guilt set in.

Later that night, as I laid on the mattress on the floor of Steve's tiny bedroom, which I had to fight for since Steve insisted I sleep on the actual bed instead of him, I realized that I hadn't thought of Aunt Penny or Uncle Riley in some time. I wondered what Aunt Penny thought of me vanishing, if anyone had helped her cope. An ache settled into my chest as I tried not to sniffle. If Steve woke I would feel even worse.

To my surprise, Steve did wake. Actually I think he had been awake for a while. For he slipped straight from his bed and onto my mattress. I let him in, and immediately held onto him as he settled in. My sniffles dried up as he rubbed my back the same way I had seen Sarah do deftly to Steve when we all sat at the kitchen table. It was how he managed to lull me back to sleep as I held on to him to find strength I didn't have.

* * *

I woke some time in the night to get a glass of water. Only, as I shut off the tap and turned, I found myself in a place unfamiliar to me.

Metal all around, and no longer was I in the quiet of the Roger's house. Now my ears were consumed by some catchy 70's music. The Rubberband Man was playing full blast, and on closer inspection I could see a figure dancing away to the tunes in a way I could only describe as….. off beat and awful.

I stepped forward, the man doing a spin before throwing his hand into the air and stopping his spin facing me. His eyes locked onto me, a huge grin showed on his face.

"Alice! About time you showed- holy- why are you so small?" He asked, using a see through kind of screen to turn down the music. Turns out he wasn't alone either. I squeaked when a huge racoon come from around a corner.

"Quill have you seen- Hey, about time you showed up squirt." The Racoon said.

It said something.

Holy cow, it was talking…..!

I screamed, backing away. My back hit something, and I turned to see a huge guy with grey skin with red markings.

"Why are you crying? Quill make it stop." The man said. I practically fell over trying to back up. I scuttled back as he took a step closer. Before he could get too close the man named Quill stepped in between us.

"Whoa, whoa! Draxx this is Alice!" Quill said. Draxx stopped his forward assault, looking very confused.

"Alice? But she is…. smaller." Draxx said with confusion. I stared at the two as Quill shrugged.

"Listen we know she jumps around, this might be when she was younger. She did say that we would end up working together." Quill argued. I watched the exchange before Quill turned to me. He had on a warm smile and knelt down in front of me. He held out. Hand for me to take.

"How old are you sweetheart?" Quill asked. I paused, trying to think as I took his open palm.

"Umm, nine I-I think." I said. I had been with the Roger's for three months, and two months in Asgard, and my birthday was supposed to be two weeks after I had skipped from Aunt Penny…. My head hurt, this was a lot of thinking.

As I stood, I turned to face the racoon again, getting a good look at him. He seemed a bit put off by my scream, if his low hanging tail and ears was anything to go by.

"You gunna scream at me again?" He asked. I felt my face turn red and covered my mouth.

"I'm sorry, you scared me sir." I said. Quill snorted.

"Sir? That's a new one. You're way too cute as a kid," Quill said. I looked up at him as he patted my back. The familiarity in his eyes caught me though, eyes I could vaguely recall. "you remember me? We met in the hospital. I played Blue Suede for you."

"Peter?" I asked, earning a grin in response.

"That's my girl! Man you have no idea how good it is to see you here." He said while ushering me towards where he had been dancing. I looked around, learning quickly that we seemed to be in some sort off large machine. My eyes nearly popped out of my sockets when I saw out the windows.

Space.

We were in…. Outer space?

"We're on a space ship." I said. Quill looked down at me as I looked up to him. Then it dawned on him.

"Oh yeah, this might be your first time on a space ship. Let's give you a tour!" Quill turned and motioned for me to follow. I took one last look out the windows before peeling my eyes off the screen to follow Quill-

Only to walk right into something.

I winced, backing up and holding my nose. One of these days the stupid thing would just break off at this rate.

"And what have we here?"

I looked up to a late man with blue skin. He grinned down at me with sharp red eyes and a wicked grin.

"Darling, you look good enough to eat."

* * *

 **Ayyyyyy! Look who updated!**

 **Jeez it's been so long.**

 **I finally have time to myself again, and boy, seeing Avengers Endgame really helped me get motivated. Whoever hasn't seen it, it was pretty damn good. There's little nitpicks, but they never did a disservice to any of the characters, and although I cried like a little baby for the last twenty minutes, it was beautiful. I don't want to spoil anything, but the imagery of Cap standing across from Thanos has been cemented in my mind.**

 **Also, ironically, Endgame shares a LOT of similarities with how I was planning to end this story. Same themes, same ideas. So of course I had to change that, and now this is a trilogy instead of two books.**

 **This story will be a long one, so bare with me. I've decided on pairings, and I know exactly how i want this story to pan out now...it's just getting there that's the hard part.**

 **So thank you if you have reviewed! It means a lot. I was going to write a much longer chapter but I really wanted to get this baby out. The next few chapters will have pretty big time gaps, but I'll try to make them work.**

 **Cheers!**

 ** _Iland Girl_**


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